New Delhi, August 03: The Government has assessed the challenges being faced by the North Eastern Region (NER) through various studies and reports submitted by different Committees, Commissions, Task Forces etc. appointed from time to time. Some of these include Shukla Commission Report; Usha Thorat Committee Report on Financial Sector Plan for North Eastern Region; Report of the Task Force on Connectivity and Promotion of Trade and Investment in NE States; Report on Poverty Eradication in NER; District Infrastructure Index for NER prepared by Ministry of DoNER; Human Development Report of NE States; Report of the Working Group on Improvement and Development of Transport Infrastructure in North East for the National Transport Development Policy Committee etc.
The assessment broadly identified various measures to bridge the infrastructural gaps and remove the backlog in basic minimum services in North Eastern States that include connecting North-East with rest of India and world through rail, road, water and air connectivity, opening new trade and business opportunities by improving the banking sector and giving incentive to Industry sector etc.
Government has taken concerted efforts for development of the North-Eastern Region. All non-exempt Central Ministries/Departments are required to spend 10% of their Gross Budgetary Support in the North – Eastern Region not only through their ongoing schemes, but also through dedicated schemes for the North-Eastern Region. Special projects taken for the North-Eastern Region, inter-alia, include Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for North East (SARDP-NE); Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan; Broad Gauging & Capital Connectivity Rail Projects; World Bank Assisted Power Transmission & Distribution Projects; Scheme for Inter-State Neglected Roads etc.
In addition, the Ministry of DoNER, through its schemes of Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR)-State & Central, North Eastern Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS), North Eastern Regional Livelihood Project (NERLP-EAP), North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP), Social and Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF) Scheme etc. along with schemes of North Eastern Council has taken steps to bridge the social and physical infrastructure gaps in North Eastern Region.
This was stated by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question by Shri Raghav Lakhanpal in the Lok Sabha today.
