Parliament reveals Rs 3,206 cr Northeast infrastructure backlog; roads, health and education sectors most affected
Even as new infrastructure projects continue to be announced for the Northeast, more than Rs 406 crore allocated for development works in Nagaland remains unspent under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), according to data placed in Parliament raising fresh concerns over delays in critical sectors such as roads, health and education.
Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Sukanta Majumdar informed that NESIDS projects across the region carry an “outstanding central liability” of Rs 3,206.18 crore as of December 31, 2025, with over 160 projects still under implementation.
State-wise figures show Assam with the highest pending amount at Rs 1,012.87 crore across 35 projects, followed by Manipur at Rs 441.38 crore and Nagaland at Rs 406.09 crore, placing the State among the regions with the largest backlog of unspent infrastructure funds. Arunachal Pradesh has Rs 395.37 crore pending, while Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Sikkim account for the remaining amounts.
Sectoral data indicate that delays are most severe in road and bridge construction, which accounts for Rs 1,402.11 crore in pending expenditure across 53 projects. Education infrastructure projects have unspent funds amounting to Rs 774.55 crore, while Rs 317.87 crore remains pending in the health sector – areas widely regarded as essential to improving access and development in remote hill states.
The government further informed Parliament that 30 NESIDS projects – three under roads and 27 under other infrastructure components – were sanctioned more than two years ago but still have more than 50 per cent of their approved cost unspent, highlighting prolonged implementation gaps.
Officials attributed delays to a combination of difficult terrain, land acquisition issues, statutory clearances and financial closure challenges, noting that project timelines in the Northeast often depend heavily on local conditions and administrative processes.
Launched in 2017–18, NESIDS was designed to fund priority infrastructure projects across the region, including highways, bridges, hospitals, schools, water supply systems and waste management facilities. The scheme was later divided into separate components for roads and other infrastructure, with project selection based on state-level priorities and allocations guided by indicators such as population, geographic area, road density, healthcare access and drinking water coverage. (With inputs from Times of India)