Agartala, Dec 26: The Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has approved 86 projects worth Rs 1,970.54 crore for the eight northeastern states in 2024, officials said on Thursday.
A senior DoNER Ministry official said that of the sanctioned fund, Rs 1,590.81 crore has been released under various schemes till December 15. These 86 projects were approved under the NorthEast Special Infrastructure Development Scheme-Other Than Roads Infrastructure (NESIDS-OTRI), the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme – Roads (NESIDS-Roads), the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE), the schemes of NEC, and special development packages.
To perfectly monitor the schemes and projects on the ground, from January 2015 to November this year, several Union Ministers visited the northeastern region more than 723 times, the official said.
He said that these visits are coordinated and monitored through the “Poorvottar Sampark Setu” portal, which provides valuable insights and graphical information about state-wise and district-wise visits of the Union Ministers to the region.
Action taken on the recommendation of Union Ministers during these visits is reviewed by the Minister of State of the DoNER Ministry from time to time. According to the official, the DoNER Ministry has formed two task forces for the development of the Agarwood and tourism sectors.
He said that Agar is one of the world’s most valuable trees, native to the northeastern region and used for medicine and fragrance purposes. The Agarwood sector in the northeastern region holds significant promise for economic growth and international trade. Recognising its potential, an Inter-Ministerial Task Force (IMTF) was constituted by the DoNER Ministry to streamline and enhance the Agarwood industry in the region towards sustainable development and global competitiveness.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha earlier said that the state government is serious enough to take the Agarwood sector forward which was neglected in the past. He had said that the present government is continuously working to expand and develop the Agarwood industry by adopting several plans.
Various steps including Agarwood policy have been adopted to facilitate agarwood growers and traders. He had said that there are more than 12 million agar trees in the private sector of the state. The Centre has already approved the export of 25 metric tons of Agarwood chips and 1,500 kg of Agar oil from the country, Saha had said.
The official said that an Inter-ministerial Tourism Task Force has been set up to develop one world-class tourism site per NE state to attract global visitors, establish GI status for 200 unique products in the region, and foster cultural identity and brand recognition. Tourism sites for development in each state have been identified and shared with the respective states. The state shall be taking a final decision on the way forward.
The DoNER Ministry also organised the first ever ‘Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav’ at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi showcasing northeast India’s vibrant textile sector, tourism opportunities, traditional craftsmanship and distinctive GeographicalIndication (GI) tagged products. The 3-day (December 6-8) ‘Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav’ was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 6.
IANS