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Government Initiatives and Schemes for North-Eastern Region

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In India, there are 28 states and each state has its own different geographical and climatic conditions. The northeastern region of India has the most extreme topographical conditions. There are 8 states under this region, i.e. Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Tripura. These states are located on hills and thus transportation in this region is quite difficult, consequently acting as a barrier to the development of the North-eastern region of India. However, the GOI is launched many schemes and initiatives for the betterment and development of the North-eastern region of India.

Some of the Major Government Initiatives and Schemes for the North-eastern region of India:

The Government of India has formed a special ministry that looks after the development work in the Northeast region of India. It is referred to as the Ministry of Development of the North-Eastern Region (DoNER). It is responsible for carrying out all kinds of planning, execution, and monitoring of government schemes. The DoNER works with a vision of elevating the socio-economic development in the north-eastern region so that, the national citizen living there can also enjoy the same facilities as the rest of the country enjoys.

The Ministry of Development of the North-Eastern Region (DoNER) has launched many different schemes for the development of the North-Eastern region.

  • North-East Venture Fund (NEVF):

The Ministry of Development of the North-Eastern Region (DoNER) along with the North-Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi) has set up North-East Venture Fund (NEVF). The main aim of collecting this fund is to use it in certain development projects in the North-East. The DoNER has aimed to collect Rs 100 crores under the NEVF out of which 45 crores will be contributed by DoNER, 30 crores by NEVF, and the rest principal amount will be contributed by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). The collected fund is to be invested in different sectors by a committee of experts including bankers, financial advisors, and investors. Till now Rs. 1092.5 lacs has already been invested in start-ups in various sectors from health, technology, tourism, media, etc. 

  • North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS):

North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), is a 100% centrally funded scheme launched in December 2017. The scheme is to be implemented by the Ministry of Development of the North-Eastern Region (DoNER). A fund of Rs 1600 crore has been allotted by the Central Government of India for the development of the power, water supply, tourism, health, education, and improving the infrastructure of all the 8 North-Eastern states of India.

  • Science & Technology Interventions in the North East Region (STINER):

The main objective of Science & Technology Interventions in the North East Region (STINER) is to bring in the latest and advanced technologies to the North-Eastern region to help the women farmers and other artisans living there. National research institutes and technological institutions such as IITs are assigned to develop new technology for the people living in the North-eastern region which can help them in agriculture.

  • North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS) and Schemes of North Eastern Council (NEC):

The North Eastern Council or the NEC acts as a nodal officer for monitoring all economic development works going on in the 8 North-eastern states of India. And under the NEC the GOI has announced a fund of Rs 4500 crores for the North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS). The scheme was launched to improve the road infrastructure in the North-Eastern states within 3 years i.e. 2017-2020.

Contribution of the North Eastern Region to the Economic Development of India:

Despite its extreme geographical location, the North-Eastern states of India contribute significantly to the economic development of India.

The North-Eastern States of India have around 3% contribution to the total GDP of India

  • Tourism: The main source of revenue for the North-Eastern states is its tourism sector, every year numerous tourists across the world visit North-East India to explore the scenic beauty and experience one of the richest cultures in the world. Before COVID-19, in 2016-17 more than 77 lakh domestic and 1.6 lakh foreign tourists visited the Northeast region of India.
  • Tea Production: Tea plantation is one of the major sources of income for the North-eastern states, only Assam satisfies more than 50% need of the total tea consumption of the nation. And yearly India exports more than 190 million Kg of tea globally.
  • Natural Resources: The North-east region of India has a decent reserve of natural resources like oil, natural gas, and other forest reserves thus significantly contributing to power generation. Almost one-third of India’s hydropower is generated by the northeast sector of India. 
     

Last Updated : 12 Dec, 2022
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