NEW DELHI, April 2: Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jyotiraditya Scindia, informed Parliament on Wednesday that the Centre had spent more than double the allocated budget for the Northeast in the last financial year.
Against an earmarked budget of ₹51,000 crore, the total expenditure from 54 ministries exceeded ₹1.06 lakh crore, Scindia said while responding to a query raised by former Tripura Chief Minister and West Tripura MP, Biplab Kumar Deb. Deb had expressed concerns regarding fund allocation and its optimal utilisation in the region.
Scindia assured the House that, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive, a “whole-of-government” approach was being implemented for the Northeast’s development. “All 54 ministries have been instructed to allocate at least 10% of their Gross Budgetary Support specifically for the region. Last year, we spent 106% more than what was originally allocated,” he stated.
The Minister emphasized that ministries were working in coordination to ensure effective fund utilisation. “Not a single rupee meant for the Northeast is going to waste. In fact, we are investing more than what was planned,” he added.
Deb had earlier raised concerns that unutilised funds might be returned to the central finance pool, potentially affecting the region’s development. His concerns follow data presented in the Lok Sabha on March 25, which indicated delays in projects under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS).
In response to a query by Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi, Minister of State for DoNER, Sukanta Majumdar, revealed that critical infrastructure projects in Assam were lagging due to inadequate fund disbursement. Of the ₹1,223.49 crore sanctioned since 2017-18 for 27 key projects under NESIDS, only ₹206.88 crore—just 16.91%—had been released so far.
Education, which accounts for the highest number of projects under the scheme (19 in total), was allocated ₹881.08 crore but has received only ₹101.68 crore.
