The story so far: Earlier this week, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G. Kishan Reddy apprised the Rajya Sabha about the initiatives undertaken by the Ministry and the Central Government to improve digital and transport connectivity in the region.
He told the House that the government spent Rs 3,466 crore in the last seven years to spur digital connectivity in the region.
Additionally, the DoNER Minister informed the House that a total of ₹25,589 crore had been spent by the Central Government towards healthcare in the region, since 2014. The number is inclusive of ₹548 crore by the DoNER Ministry.
The Minister said before 2014, train connectivity existed only uptil Guwahati, which was later extended to Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. To further boost transport connectivity, 121 tunnels were being constructed in the region alongside efforts to improve air connectivity.
Mr. Reddy said peace and stability were the fundamental requirements for initiating development in a region. He added Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership heralded a new era of peace in the region. According to Mr. Reddy, 2,696 extremists surrendered in 2020 against 291 in 2014.
What is the DoNER Ministry?
The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) is responsible for planning, execution and monitoring developmental schemes and projects in Northeast India. It was set up in 2001 and converted into a full-fledged Ministry in 2004.
It is the only Ministry with a territorial jurisdiction, and functions to coordinate developmental efforts in the region.
It coordinates with the specific ministries and departments responsible for implementation of programmes or facilitating a development initiative. However, the concerned ministry or department retains responsibility for the implementation.
The functioning
The Ministry had been sanctioning projects under Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) to the eight Northeastern states. The objective was to fill up infrastructural gaps in the region by sanctioning the projects prioritised by the State Governments. Ninety per cent of the projects were funded by the Central Government, and the remaining 10% by the State.
NLCPR was restructured in December 2017 as North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), and Special Packages from State Govts of the region along with some Central Ministries.
NESIDS is fully funded by the Govt of India. The scheme endows financial assistance for physical infrastructure projects relating to water supply, power, connectivity and those promoting tourism. Additionally, it endows focus on the social infrastructure relevant to education and health.
Following the institution of NESIDS, the ministry’s website informs, no new project has been taken up for funding under the NLCPR scheme. Funding for the ongoing projects under the latter would continue uptil March 2020 to ensure completion.
Activities
The DoNER Ministry presently has six Inter-Ministerial Committees (IMCs) on Roads, Air Connectivity, Health and Nutrition, Medicinal Aromatic Plants, Livelihood in Northeast Region and Piggery Value Chain Development.
The Ministry’s associate organisations include North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Ltd. (NEHHDC) and the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd. (NERAMAC). North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi), registered as a non-banking financial institution with the RBI, provides financial assistance to small, medium and large enterprises to catalyse industrial growth in the region. The Ministry provides interest free loans to NEDFi for promoting entrepreneurship.
Fortnightly visits: It was decided in 2015 that each Northeastern State would be visited by a Union Minister on a fortnight basis. The Ministry coordinates and anchors these visits by nominating Union Ministers by rotation on a monthly basis. The Ministers are required to submit a report following interaction with local communities; reviewing projects, schemes of the Govt, COVID preparedness and assessing requirements for strengthening infrastructure. They are also expected to resolve pending issues relevant to the State they have visited. This was halted briefly in March 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was resumed again in July 2021.
As of December 31, 2021, 42 Union Ministers have visited the region.
National Mission of Edible Oils/Oil Palm (NMEO-OP): Mr. Reddy had sought the intervention of the Union Minister of Agriculture for taking the initiative forward with a comprehensive coverage of the region and speedy implementation of irrigation schemes, crop insurance and access to Kisan Credit Cards. The Union Cabinet had approved the NMEO-OP scheme in August 2021 with a total outlay of Rs 11,040 crore. Northeastern and Andaman & Nicobar Islands’ combined share is Rs 5,850 crore covering 3.38 lakh hectares in the Northeast.
Civil Aviation: Mr. Reddy in September 2021 spoke to the Civil Aviation Minister to expedite the Greenfield airport at Holongi (Itanagar) and enabling all-weather operability at Pakyong Airport in Sikkim. The fast tracking and completion were meant to realise Prime Minister’s Act East Policy, states the Ministry’s annual report for 2021-22.
Ranking: The Ministry’s Statistics Division prepares the Northeast Region District SDG Index. The first series of the rankings (for 2021-22) was prepared in partnership with NITI Aayog and technical support from UNDP India. It ranks 103 of 120 districts in the region on social on social, human, economic, infrastructural and environmental dimensions of development. Districts are scored out of 100 and categorised as Achiever (score of 100), Front Runner (65-99), Performer (50-64) and Aspirant (0-49). At present, East Sikkim leads the rankings with a score of 75.87.
How were projects in the region funded before NLCPR?
It was decided in October 1996 that Central ministries and departments, unless specifically exempted, will set apart 10% of their Plan Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) for the Northeastern regions. This was to ensure availability of adequate capital to ensure filling of backlog and gaps with respect to access to amenities and infrastructure.
In 1997-98 it was seen that the actual expenditure of the ministries and departments was below the mandated 10%, the Govt decided to create a ‘Central Resource Pool’. The unutilised money would accrue to this pool at the end of each financial year. Annual expenditure under the NLCPR were taken as withdrawals from the pool. Creation of NLCPR thus precedes the formation of the Ministry.
At present, to strengthen monitoring of the 10% GBS expenditure in Northeast, Ministry of Finance accounts all expenditures undertaken in the region state, scheme and ministry-wise in the Central Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
