Nagaland has been allocated Rs 3,880 crore under the Centre’s ‘Pride of Hills: Special Development Assistance for the Hill States’ scheme for the financial year 2026–27, aimed at boosting infrastructure and addressing region-specific challenges.
The scheme, part of the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), has a total outlay of Rs 25,000 crore covering nine hill states. The scheme is aimed at addressing key challenges faced by hill states, such as difficult terrain, limited connectivity, sparse population, and constrained revenue sources, which often impact their fiscal strength.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the allocation.
In a post on X, Rio said the special assistance would help accelerate development and address the unique regional challenges faced by hill states, including Nagaland.