New Delhi: With over 1,455 projects remaining incomplete in the Northeast, Minister for DoNER Gen (retd) V K Singh on Monday said there was a huge gap between the committed liability and budgetary allocation for the region and Rs 4,300 crore was needed to complete all ongoing projects.
The Minister also said steps were being taken for improvement of air connectivity in the region by launching an airline that will link all states with nearest air hub and for speedy completion of railway lines that will touch all states.
Singh said the committed liability of the North Eastern Council was Rs 1,754 crore while the budgetary allocation to it was just Rs 700 crore.
Similarly, the committed liability of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region was Rs 2,900 crore while it has a budget of Rs 2,306 crore.
“There is a huge gap between committed liability and budgetary allocation,” he told a press conference here to mark the completion of 100 days of Narendra Modi government.
Singh said the DoNER Ministry required around Rs 4,300 crore to complete the 1,455 ongoing development projects being implemented in eight Northeastern states.
The Minister said there was a clear shift in focus after the new NDA came to power and emphasis now was on detailed review of projects and micro-management of their implementation for better results.
“Initiative is in the form of being pro-active rather than reactive. Issues are now being addressed proactively. Recognising importance of states’ cooperation, views of all stake holders are now taken before deciding a policy,” he said.
Singh also said special attention is being given for speedy implementation of all ongoing development projects.
Singh said plans were afoot to improve air connectivity in the region by starting fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft service linking all states with the nearest air hub.
“Fares have to be fixed in a manner so that common people can afford air travel,” he said.
Singh said his Ministry was also closely monitoring the ongoing railway projects in the region so that their early completion could establish better communication network.
The Minister said under the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resource (NLCPR) 1,596 projects involving Rs 14,172 crore have been sanctioned. Of these, 833 projects have been completed.
He said new changes have been introduced in the scheme to cut delays and quicken results.
NEC has sanctioned 1,199 projects involving Rs 6,944 crore of which 622 projects have been completed.
Singh said the total budgetary allocation by central ministries for the Northeast is Rs 53,705 crore for 2014-15 and the amount allocated to DoNER Ministry is Rs 2,306 crore.
Review of schemes of 53 non-exempted ministries/ departments has been initiated to explore possibilities of dovetailing of schemes of various ministries/departments for maximising benefits, he added. PTI (PTI)