The North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), aimed at boosting infrastructure in India’s northeastern region, currently has 167 ongoing projects across eight states, including Nagaland. This was revealed by Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on February 5.
Under NESIDS, states receive financial support for critical infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, health, education, water supply, power, sports, and digital connectivity. Nagaland has 20 ongoing projects with an outstanding central share liability of Rs 406.09 crore. Assam leads with 35 projects and a liability of Rs 1,012.87 crore, followed by Manipur with 25 projects and Rs 441.38 crore; Arunachal Pradesh with 25 projects and Rs 395.37; Mizoram with 24 projects and Rs 275.81 crore; Tripura with 18 projects and Rs 308.71 crore; Meghalaya with 13 projects and Rs 258.05 crore; and Sikkim with 7 projects and Rs 107.90 crore.
The roads and bridges sector has the highest outstanding liability of Rs 1,402.11 crore across 53 projects, followed by education with Rs 774.55 crore in 35 projects. Health and water supply are also key sectors under NESIDS, with liabilities of Rs 317.87 crore and Rs 173.90 crore respectively.
The scheme’s funding allocation considers factors like area, population, road density, electrification, and health infrastructure to address regional development needs effectively.
