Centre Spent Rs 64,973 Crore for Northeast: Jyotiraditya M. Scindia

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: For the development of the North East region, 54 ministries and departments of the Government of India, along with the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (mDoNER), spent a total of Rs 64,973 crore in the last financial year, until March 18, 2025.

This was revealed by DoNER minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia in the Rajya Sabha today, in reply to a question by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh regarding the utilisation of development funds in the NE region.

Notably, 54 central ministries and departments are mandated to spend 10% of their gross budget for the development of the NE region. DoNER funds are exclusively meant for the development of the NE states.

According to the DoNER minister, the central department of Rural Development spent Rs 10,225 crore for the NE region, the highest among the 54 ministries and departments, followed by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways with Rs 9935.88 crore and the department of Health & Family Welfare with Rs 5336.47 crore.

On the other hand, DoNER spent an amount of Rs 3473.99 crore in the last financial year.

Union minister Scindia informed the Rajya Sabha that most of the projects are implemented through state governments. The fund disbursement and project implementation under its schemes are affected by several factors, such as a short working season in the NE states due to inclement weather conditions; difficulties in transportation of men and material due to difficult terrain; land acquisition issues, etc.

Also, that DoNER has taken several steps to improve transparency and efficiency in the allocation of funds. Web-based online systems have been introduced to streamline the processes of selection, appraisal and approval of projects as well as for submission of claims/demands by states/Implementation Agencies (IAs) under various schemes of DoNER; the option for single-stage approval (direct submission of DPR) has been provided to states; The fund release framework has been streamlined, with funds to be released in four equal instalments based on utilization of previously released funds and physical progress; sectors covered and financial limits for individual projects have been clearly defined for each scheme, thus eliminating the overlap; and monitoring of ongoing projects through Project Quality Monitors (PQM) and Third-Party Technical Inspections (TPTI) has been introduced to ensure timely and quality implementation of projects.

Also read: Asia’s Largest Data Centre Planned in Assam: DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia

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