Lok Sabha Question No. 170 (STARRED), answered on 2026-02-11
Subject: Status of Projects and Schemes in Assam
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Shri Pradyut Bordoloi

## Government of India Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. *170

To be answered on

Wednesday, February 11, 2026/Magha 22, 1947 (Saka)

## QUESTION

## Status of Projects and Schemes in Assam

## *170.  Shri Pradyut Bordoloi:

Will the Minister of DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  number  of  projects  in  Assam  funded  by  the  Ministry  of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) that have been delayed, scrapped and foreclosed along with the reasons for each such project; (b) the details  regarding  the  manner  in  which  infrastructure  gaps  in  flood-prone and hilly areas are being addressed to ensure better connectivity and livelihoods; (c) the  details  of  the  amount  of funds  under  the  Prime  Minister's  Development Initiative  for  North  East  Region  (PM-DevINE),  North  East  Special  Infrastructure Development  Scheme  (NESIDS)  and  North  Eastern  Council  (NEC)  that  remain unspent in Assam and the reasons for the same; (d) the  details  of  the  reasons  for  which  Assam  is  lagging  behind  the  national average in basic connectivity and last-mile infrastructure; and the  details  of  the  concrete  reforms  introduced  so  that  various  DoNER
- (e) schemes translate into visible jobs, livelihoods and timely infrastructure?

## The Minister of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## ANSWER [Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia]

(a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  *170  FOR  11 th   FEBRUARY,  2026  REGARDING 'STATUS OF PROJECTS AND SCHEMES IN ASSAM'

- (a) The  Ministry  of  Development  of  North  Eastern  Region  (MDoNER)  provides financial  assistance to the  North Eastern States to take up developmental projects under the five Central Sector Schemes of Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North  East  Region  (PM-DevINE),  North  East  Special  Infrastructure  Development Scheme-  Other  than  Roads  Infrastructure  (NESIDS-OTRI),  North  East  Special Infrastructure  Development  Scheme-  Roads  (NESIDS-Roads),  Schemes  of  North Eastern Council (SoNEC) and Special Development Packages. As on 31.01.2026, a total of 826 projects have been sanctioned for the State of Assam under the various schemes  of  MDoNER,  since  inception,  of  which  657  projects  have  since  been completed. Out of the remaining 169 projects, the implementation of a total of 127 projects is delayed. The implementation period of the projects sanctioned under the schemes  of  MDoNER  depends  upon  various  factors  such  as  the  geographical location,  terrain,  availability  of  land,  mandatory  statutory  clearances,  removal  of obstacles, financial closures etc.
- (b) As  conveyed  by  the  State  Government  of  Assam,  infrastructure  gaps  in Assam's  flood-prone  and  hilly  areas  are  addressed  through  the  construction  and upgradation of all-weather roads and resilient bridges to ensure year-round connectivity.  Additionally,  the  road  levels  are  raised  and  improved  drainage  and cross-drainage structures are provided to reduce disruption due to floods and water logging. In hilly areas, slope stabilization, retaining structures and improved hill road engineering  are  adopted  to  prevent  landslides  and  road  closures.  Further,  the MDoNER while sanctioning  the  roads/bridges  projects  under  its  schemes  ensures that the projects which are sanctioned conform to the latest specifications and other codal provisions.
- (c) As on 04.02.2026, the details of the funds  released for the State  of  Assam under various  schemes  of  MDoNER  and  the  unspent  balance  lying  in  the  Central Nodal Agency (CNA) account are as under:

|   S. No. | Scheme         |   Funds Released (Rs in Cr.) |   Unspent Amount in CNA (Rs. in Cr.) |
|----------|----------------|------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|        1 | PM-DevINE      |                        547.2 |                               100.77 |
|        2 | NESIDS - OTRI  |                       4131.7 |                               119.51 |
|        3 | NESIDS - Roads |                       1068.7 |                                46.37 |
|        4 | Schemes of NEC |                       1565.7 |                                34.72 |

The MDoNER follows up on a regular basis with the State Governments of NER, inter-alia, including Assam for expeditious utilization of funds released to them.

(d) As per the Basic Road Statistics of India 2019-20 published by the MoRTH in 2025,  Assam's  road  network  density  per  1000  sq.  km  is  5741  km,  which  is  well above the national average of 1661 km, indicating a relatively dense road network in the State compared to other States in the country.

(e) The  MDoNER has  introduced  several  reforms  in  the  recent  past  to  ensure timely implementation of the projects and to streamline the fund release mechanism that are summarized below:

- (i)  Guidelines  of  Schemes  of  PM-DevINE,  NESIDS  (OTRI),  NESIDS  (Roads) have been simplified to jointly consider Concept Note and DPR of the project proposals in one go to reduce the lead time in conceptualization and sanction of projects.
- (ii)  Financial  and  sectoral  demarcation  among  the  schemes  of  MDoNER  has been carried out to prevent duplication of sanction of projects across multiple schemes of MDoNER.
- (iii)  MDoNER has streamlined the mechanism for the release of funds to the NE States in four equal installments of 25% each.
- (iv) The  Poorvottar  Vikas  Setu  portal  of  the  Ministry  of  DoNER  has  been developed  and  rolled  out  in  2024.  The  portal  has  digitized  the  process  for submission  of  Concept  Notes  and  DPR  to  the  MDoNER  for  expeditious processing and tracking of all proposals received from the State Governments.

The aforementioned reforms have enhanced the pace of sanction and execution of projects  that  has  translated  into  tangible  benefits  such  as  increase  in  employment opportunities for the people of North Eastern Region, socio-economic development of  the  area,  development  of tourism industry  and increase in  industrial activities in the region and thereby boosting the overall economy of the North-Eastern States.

*****