The North Eastern Council (NEC) released over Rs 58.96 crore during May and June 2026 to support a range of development projects in Nagaland, with the largest share of the funding earmarked for road infrastructure under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS-Roads), a DIPR report stated.
According to the report, Rs 48.02 crore was released under NESIDS (Roads) for seven key road projects across the state, while the remaining funds were sanctioned under the Scheme of NEC (SoNEC) for initiatives related to community infrastructure, skill development, tourism, rural development and tribal welfare.
The road projects include the upgradation and construction of roads connecting Thizema to the proposed Chiethu Airport via Nehre Model Village, Phomching in Nagaland to Longding in Arunachal Pradesh, Old Peren to New Peren, Jalukie to the New DO Complex Model Township, Tuensang to Longleng, and Khonoma Village to NH-29 via the Tzudza River, among others.
Under SoNEC, the NEC released funds for several community and skill development initiatives, including the establishment of a Skill Development Centre-cum-Garo Community Centre in Dimapur, a Rongmei Multi-Purpose Complex in Jalukie, and a Tribal Artisans Resource Centre in Chümoukedima.
The council also released the first instalment for an Integrated Development Project in the backward areas of Phomching Assembly Constituency in Mon district. The project, with a total sanctioned cost of Rs 6.26 crore, is aimed at promoting infrastructure and socio-economic development in the region.
Other releases during the two-month period supported projects related to tourism, coffee processing, trade infrastructure, technical education and public amenities.
Meanwhile, the 9.60-km Glory Peak Tourist Road in Phek district was completed during May and June. Constructed at a cost of Rs 32.50 crore, the road improves access to tourist destinations including Glory Peak, Kapamodzu Forest and Japan Cave and is expected to benefit around 28,387 residents across 11 nearby villages.
In addition, the NEC released Rs 18.93 crore to regional institutions, universities, technical institutes, NGOs and societies for programmes aimed at promoting development in the Northeast. Nagaland was among the major beneficiaries, with support extended to initiatives such as a state-level workshop on eco-tourism organised by the Nagaland Empowerment of People through Economic Development (NEPED), a research project by Nagaland University, and a capacity-building programme on PM Gati Shakti Geospatial Operations conducted by the Nagaland GIS & Remote Sensing Centre (NGISRSC) in Kohima.