The central government approving Rs. 378 crore for landslide risk mitigation in eight northeastern states is good news. Timely and judicious utilisation of the amount will be crucial to increasing the disaster resilience of the region. Increasing incidents of landslides frequently disrupt vital connectivity on highways in the region, cutting off supplies and affecting passengers’ movements, besides causing loss of lives and properties. The central government informed the Lok Sabha in July that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has collected data on 592 landslides that occurred between April 2017 and July 2024 in different northeastern states that have impacted lives and infrastructure. Analysis of these data shows a mixed trend with periodic ups and downs in the number of occurrences of landslides, and to infer conclusively about the exact nature of the trend of landslide incidents, long-range (at least 20 years) landslide occurrence data with exact dates of occurrence is required, the government stated. Official data highlights that the year 2023-24 recorded the maximum number of 196 such landslides compared to 29 in 2023-24 and 102 in 2022-23, which speaks volumes about the increasing susceptibility of the region to major landslides. The GSI provides recommendations on both structural/non-structural and natural methods for reducing landslide hazard in the Northeast, which, according to the government, are based on the knowledge of site condition, as landslides are very site-specific disasters. The central government increasing funding support to the GSI to undertake more research work and studies can help it gather more scientific data on landslides in the region for strengthening mitigation measures. Under the National Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (NLSM) Programme launched by GSI in 2014-15 for generating the baseline data, so far, 4.3 lakh sq. km of landslide-prone areas in the country have been mapped, which includes 1.85 lakh sq. km of landslide-prone areas of the region. Major activities of GSI landslide studies include pre-disaster studies (multi-scale landslide susceptibility mapping and conducting a landslide awareness program); post-disaster studies (landslide inventory mapping and site-specific detailed geological mapping, slope stability analysis, and landslide monitoring); and regional landslide forecasting. Clearly, community awareness plays a crucial role in landslide risk mitigation, and, therefore, this component getting focused attention along with structural and non-structural measures during the utilisation of the fund allocated by the central government will be critical to achieving the goals. It is reassuring to know that GSI has also initiated research and development activities for developing regional landslide forecasting systems in landslide-prone states of the region. The “National Landslide Risk Management Strategy, A publication of the National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India,” attributes the vulnerability of major parts of the region to landslides to fragile geology, active tectonics, critical slopes, intense rainfall, and anthropogenic activities at various locations. It explains that slope cutting and blasting activity for construction and widening of hill roads are triggering many landslides, which are small in size but often life-threatening but are difficult to depict on landslide susceptibility zoning mapping that uses a bigger scale. The NDMA strategy document underscores the importance of monitoring landslides using both remote sensing and ground-based instruments, detecting the slope condition and early signs of movement to save lives and property by enabling timely evacuation. It also stresses the need for awareness and capacity development of local communities in the preparedness for potential landslide events, mitigation, and during emergencies arising from the occurrence of a landslide event. The construction of highways, railway lines, and tunnelling of hills for run-of-the-river hydropower projects and other infrastructure development in the hilly regions of the Northeast is critical to improving connectivity and generating electricity for faster development. Slope modification takes place because of such infrastructure development, which increases landslide susceptibility in the region. Aligning the landslide risk mitigation measures with the connectivity push in the region will ensure that the scientific knowledge developed by GSI, the National Institute of Disaster Management, NDMA, and other organisations/institutions is applied to mitigate the risks associated with such construction activities by issuing the construction agency and project developers legally the preventive measures and retrofitting solutions. Such measures being legally binding on project developers and executive agencies is important to ensure that guidelines or advisories do not gather dust and are strictly followed. The objective of landslide risk mitigation is not to put a hold on infrastructure development in landslide-prone areas of the region but to apply the knowledge to reduce risk and prevent loss of lives and properties. Highways and railway lines of the region are also the lifeline of the states, and preventing disruption of vehicle movement along these is of paramount importance in this strategic region. Disaster management primarily rests with the states, but the central government bearing the major financial burden of it is essential to increasing the disaster resilience of the Northeastern states, which do not have adequate resources for financing disaster management like landslide risk mitigation.