Shillong: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said externally aided projects should not be viewed merely as financing mechanisms, but as instruments for local produce to reach global markets, strengthen livelihoods and transform the northeast's geographical challenges into opportunities for economic growth.
Chairing a conference on "Leveraging externally aided projects in the northeastern states" here, she said that assistance under the externally aided projects (EAP) in the northeastern region has seen a seven-fold rise under the Narendra Modi government.
