A comprehensive review of stalled infrastructure projects in the Northeastern states has led to the closure of 51 legacy or non-viable schemes, Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region and Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia has said.
“Of the 97 per cent completed, 91 per cent have been operationalised, which is 223 out of 245 projects. Another 298 projects are ongoing,” Scindia stated during a media interaction in New Delhi on Friday, marking one year of the Ministry of Development of North East Region (MDoNER)’s performance in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Third-party inspections of 599 projects revealed that 56 had seen no progress.
“We have engaged with states to clean up both their and our balance sheets. As a result, 34 projects have been foreclosed, and 17 have been closed on an as-is, where-is basis,” he said.
Scindia noted that this was the first time such a consolidated review had taken place for the region. The progress of ongoing work is now tracked weekly through dashboard meetings with date, time, and photo tags.
“We monitor metrics like how many pillars were installed last week versus this week, and the extent of financial and physical progress. This has helped accelerate execution across states.”
To address earlier fund shortages, MDoNER has introduced a four-instalment release system.
“The first 25 per cent is given as an advance. Once 75 per cent of that is utilised, the next 25 per cent is released. When 75 per cent of the cumulative 50 per cent is utilised, another 25 per cent follows. Finally, when 75 per cent of the total 75 per cent is utilised, the last instalment is paid,” Scindia explained.
All infrastructure projects under MDoNER are now mapped on the Poorvottar Vikas Setu and Gati Shakti portals, with periodic social impact analyses and acceleration tracking.
Natural Resource Push
Scindia said the government was committed to unlocking the economic potential of palm oil, agarwood, and bamboo in the Northeast.
“India’s current palm oil imports can be offset through domestic production in the Northeast. This year, we have set a target of 92,000 hectares, of which 70,000 hectares have already been achieved. We are committed to meeting the full target.”
Describing agarwood as a rare element akin to rare earth minerals, he said MDoNER had been working with the governments of Assam and Tripura to scale up production.
“The Commerce Ministry has approved a fivefold increase in the export quota for agarwood chips—from 25,000 kg to 150,000 kg—and for agarwood oil, from 1,000 kg to 7,500 kg. This opens the door to enhanced trade.”
He added that global climate conversations had driven demand for natural products such as bamboo. MDoNER has approved 22 bamboo projects and is working with two companies to build a full value chain in the segment.
Scindia flags 51 project closures, pushes NE infrastructure reforms
Infrastructure progress in the Northeast is now tracked weekly through tagged dashboard reviews, the MDoNER Minister confirms.
