The Nagaland government has sought greater financial assistance from the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (MDoNER), stating that the funding received by the state over the years has not been commensurate with its developmental needs.
The issue was raised during a meeting to review the progress and implementation of projects under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) and other MDoNER schemes, held in the office chamber of the Development Commissioner, Nagaland, on Tuesday.
Y Kikheto Sema, IAS, Principal Secretary and Development Commissioner, Nagaland, informed the meeting that the state had received a total of Rs 5,339.50 crore under MDoNER between 1998 and 2025. He said Nagaland was the third-lowest recipient of MDoNER funding in the region, despite being the second-oldest Northeastern state after Assam.
Expressing gratitude to the Government of India and MDoNER for their financial assistance, Sema called for greater support to address the state’s developmental requirements, particularly in healthcare, road connectivity, education and other essential infrastructure.
He said Nagaland was looking forward to an era of peace, progress and development and emphasized the need to accelerate development by prioritizing critical sectors.
With government employment opportunities nearing saturation, Sema said the state government was exploring alternative avenues for sustainable livelihoods, particularly for young people.
He highlighted the potential of plantation and commercial crops such as coffee, tea, rubber and agarwood, along with eco-tourism, to promote entrepreneurship, generate income and support sustainable economic growth.
On project implementation, Sema informed the meeting that Nagaland had 71 ongoing MDoNER-funded projects. While several had been completed, implementation of some projects had been affected by land-related issues, natural calamities and delays on the part of contractors.
He said the state government was making concerted efforts to resolve the challenges, including taking up matters requiring intervention at the level of the Chief Minister.
Sema urged MDoNER to take a considerate view of implementation delays, taking into account Nagaland’s unique landholding system and other challenges. He also requested the Ministry to consider the issue of refunds of previously allocated funds.
He further referred to instances where the Government of India had agreed to provide additional funding outside the state’s normal allocation, but the amounts were subsequently adjusted within the existing allocation. He urged the Ministry to maintain clarity and consistency in such funding commitments.
Highlighting disparities in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) performance between Nagaland and other states, as well as among districts within Nagaland, Sema said the government would prioritise sectors and districts with critical developmental gaps.
Meanwhile, Dr Vipul Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, MDoNER, who was on his second visit to Nagaland, thanked the state government for providing updates and sought clarifications on several projects, including a 50-bedded hospital at the new district headquarters in Peren, a multispecialty hospital at Chumoukedima and indoor and outdoor stadium facilities at Peren Government College.
Aggarwal stressed the need for the state to urgently prioritize projects for submission under the 16th Finance Commission and advised departments not to wait for final allocation figures before submitting their priority lists.
He called for the submission of proposals by the end of October and stated that liabilities under the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions would not be carried forward to the 17th Finance Commission.
Emphasizing timely implementation, Aggarwal called for a clear roadmap for project completion, with priority given to older projects and those that could be completed by the next financial year. He also urged departments to expedite works, reduce project timelines wherever possible and respond promptly to queries and requests for clarification.
He said major projects under PM-DevINE should be closely monitored and prioritized for early completion. He also called for objective, need-based proposals and targeted interventions to address critical gaps in SDG performance.
While stating that funding support was available for deserving projects, Aggarwal stressed that timely implementation and completion were essential. He said Nagaland needed to make further efforts to improve its socioeconomic development and ensure the effective implementation of development projects.
Representatives of the concerned line departments presented updates on their respective projects, followed by discussions on progress, implementation challenges and measures required to expedite completion.
Aggarwal, accompanied by a team from the concerned line departments, is scheduled to visit project sites on October 22.
The sites include the Kohima Multidisciplinary Sports Centre at the IG Stadium Complex under PM-DevINE; educational infrastructure and facility development at polytechnics in Nagaland; the construction of a 220/132 kV (2×100 MVA) and 132/33 kV (2×50 MVA) substation at Tsitrongse, Dimapur, along with associated transmission lines; and the upgradation of the Radiation Oncology Centre at the Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR), Dimapur.