STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: A day-long Regional Workshop on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for the North-Eastern states was held at the Assam Administrative Staff College here on Wednesday to strengthen institutional capacity and explore opportunities for PPP projects in the region.
The workshop was organised by the Assam Government’s Finance Department in association with the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, and NITI Aayog. Senior officials from the North-Eastern states, DEA, NITI Aayog, Asian Development Bank and other development partners participated.
Finance Commissioner and Secretary Jayant Narlikar said PPP should be viewed not merely as a financing mechanism but as an approach to improving public service delivery through private capital, technology and expertise, with appropriate risk allocation.
Chief Secretary Dr Ravi Kota, the chief guest, said the Northeast had strong potential for PPP investment and stressed the need to undertake projects in healthcare, tourism, energy and urban infrastructure.
DEA Joint Secretary Laya Madduri highlighted successful national PPP models in highways, ports and civil aviation and assured the Centre’s support to the North-Eastern states.
The workshop covered PPP fundamentals, Viability Gap Funding and the India Infrastructure Project Development Fund. Sector-specific sessions focused on healthcare, solid waste management, tourism and roads, while officials from the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board shared their experience in developing a PPP ecosystem.
The participating states outlined their next steps, with the workshop expected to support the identification of viable PPP projects and development of state-specific pipelines in the region.
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