Over Rs 3,200 Crore NESIDS Funds Remain Unspent in Northeast

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: There is concern raised over the fact that central funds amounting to over Rs 3,200 crore, earmarked for infrastructure development in the Northeast, lie unspent. Out of the total funds, Assam has an amount of Rs 1,012 crore unspent.

According to the Minister of State for DoNER, Sukanta Mazumdar, of the central funds for projects under the Northeast Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), an amount of Rs 3,206 crore is lying unspent as of December 31, 2025.

The excuses cited by officials in the NE states for pending projects and non-utilization of the allocated funds are tough terrain, statutory clearance, land issues, etc.

Ministry of DoNER sources said that, 30 projects under NESIDS, relating to roads and other infrastructure were sanctioned two years ago, but still over 50% of the approved amounts remain unspent.

Sources said that, out of the total unspent amount of Rs 3,206 crore, Assam tops the list with Rs 1,012 crore lying unspent for 35 pending works, Nagaland has Rs 406 crore, Arunachal Pradesh Rs 395 crore, Manipur Rs 441 crore, Meghalaya Rs 258 crore, Sikkim Rs 107 crore, Tripura Rs 308 crore and Mizoram has Rs 275 crore lying unspent.

The incomplete projects include road and bridge work, education projects, health and infrastructure work, tourism, civil aviation, power, digital connectivity, and others.

The Government of India started the Northeast Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) in 2017-18. Under the scheme, the states selected the projects based on local priorities, and the funds were allocated through DoNER. The moot question remains as to why projects in the NE states remain incomplete despite the central government's allocation of funds. A proper monitoring system needs to be put in place so that the work is completed on time, the funds are utilized properly, and the public benefits from the development projects.

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