**Executive Summary**
The document is a response by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) to a Lok Sabha starred question regarding the status of projects and schemes in Assam as of February 11, 2026. It details project sanctions, reasons for delays, unspent funds, infrastructure improvements, and reforms implemented to expedite project execution. A statement on the matter was presented in the House.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Project Sanctions and Delays:**
* As of January 31, 2026, 826 projects have been sanctioned for Assam under various MDoNER schemes since inception, with 657 completed.
* Implementation of 127 out of the remaining 169 projects is delayed.
* Reasons for delays include geographical location, terrain, land availability, statutory clearances, obstacle removal, and financial closures.
* **Infrastructure Development:**
* Infrastructure gaps in flood-prone and hilly areas of Assam are being addressed through construction and upgrading of all-weather roads and resilient bridges.
* Road levels are being raised, with improved drainage and cross-drainage structures to reduce flood disruption.
* In hilly areas, slope stabilization and improved hill road engineering are being adopted to prevent landslides.
* **Funds and Unspent Balances (as of February 4, 2026):**
* Details of funds released under various schemes:
* PM-DevINE: Released - Rs 547.20 Cr, Unspent - Rs 100.77 Cr
* NESIDS - OTRI: Released - Rs 4131.70 Cr, Unspent - Rs 119.51 Cr
* NESIDS - Roads: Released - Rs 1068.70 Cr, Unspent - Rs 46.37 Cr
* Schemes of NEC: Released - Rs 1565.70 Cr, Unspent - Rs 34.72 Cr
* **Assam's Road Network:**
* Assam's road network density is 5741 km per 1000 sq. km, above the national average of 1661 km.
* **Reforms to Expedite Projects:**
* Simplified guidelines for PM-DevINE and NESIDS schemes (OTRI and Roads) by jointly considering Concept Note and DPR.
* Financial and sectoral demarcation to prevent project duplication.
* Streamlined fund release mechanism to NE States in four equal installments.
* Developed the Poorvottar Vikas Setu portal in 2024 for digitizing proposal submission.
**Impact Analysis**
**State Government of Assam**
* **Impact**
* The State Government is responsible for the implementation of projects funded by MDoNER.
* It must address infrastructure gaps in flood-prone and hilly areas through road construction and upgrades.
* State authorities are responsible for utilising the released funds effectively to ensure expeditious project completion.
* **Action Required**
* Ensure timely utilization of funds released by MDoNER.
* Address factors causing project delays, such as land availability and statutory clearances.
* Submit project proposals through the Poorvottar Vikas Setu portal.
**People of North Eastern Region (Specifically Assam)**
* **Impact**
* Development projects impact their employment opportunities, socio-economic status, and access to infrastructure.
* Timely project implementation improves connectivity, livelihoods, and overall quality of life.
* **Action Required**
* None explicitly mentioned, but benefit from completed projects.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER): The primary ministry responsible for the development of the North Eastern Region, including financial assistance and project oversight in Assam.
Assam: The state in India where the projects and schemes are being implemented, and the focus of the Lok Sabha question.
Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE): A central sector scheme under MDoNER focused on development projects in the North East.
North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS): A scheme under MDoNER focused on infrastructure development in the North East, specifically mentioning roads (NESIDS-Roads) and other infrastructure (NESIDS-OTRI).
North Eastern Council (NEC): An organization involved in the development and coordination of projects in the North Eastern Region, and associated schemes.
Government of India
Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION No. *170
To be answered on
Wednesday, February 11, 2026/Magha 22, 1947 (Saka)
QUESTION
Status of Projects and Schemes in Assam
*170. Shri Pradyut Bordoloi:
Will the Minister of DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION be pleased to
state:
(a) the details of the number of projects in Assam funded by the Ministry of
Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) that have been delayed, scrapped
and foreclosed along with the reasons for each such project;
(b) the details regarding the manner in which infrastructure gaps in flood-prone
and hilly areas are being addressed to ensure better connectivity and livelihoods;
(c) the details of the amount of funds under the Prime Minister's Development
Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE), North East Special Infrastructure
Development Scheme (NESIDS) and North Eastern Council (NEC) that remain
unspent in Assam and the reasons for the same;
(d) the details of the reasons for which Assam is lagging behind the national
average in basic connectivity and last-mile infrastructure; and
(e) the details of the concrete reforms introduced so that various DoNER
schemes translate into visible jobs, livelihoods and timely infrastructure?
ANSWER
The Minister of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
[Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia]
(a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (e) OF THE LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. *170 FOR 11th FEBRUARY, 2026 REGARDING
“STATUS OF PROJECTS AND SCHEMES IN ASSAM”
(a) The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) provides
financial assistance to the North Eastern States to take up developmental projects
under the five Central Sector Schemes of Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for
North East Region (PM-DevINE), North East Special Infrastructure Development
Scheme- Other than Roads Infrastructure (NESIDS-OTRI), North East Special
Infrastructure Development Scheme- Roads (NESIDS-Roads), Schemes of North
Eastern Council (SoNEC) and Special Development Packages. As on 31.01.2026, a
total of 826 projects have been sanctioned for the State of Assam under the various
schemes of MDoNER, since inception, of which 657 projects have since been
completed. Out of the remaining 169 projects, the implementation of a total of 127
projects is delayed. The implementation period of the projects sanctioned under the
schemes of MDoNER depends upon various factors such as the geographical
location, terrain, availability of land, mandatory statutory clearances, removal of
obstacles, financial closures etc.
(b) As conveyed by the State Government of Assam, infrastructure gaps in
Assam's flood-prone and hilly areas are addressed through the construction and
upgradation of all-weather roads and resilient bridges to ensure year-round
connectivity. Additionally, the road levels are raised and improved drainage and
cross-drainage structures are provided to reduce disruption due to floods and water
logging. In hilly areas, slope stabilization, retaining structures and improved hill road
engineering are adopted to prevent landslides and road closures. Further, the
MDoNER while sanctioning the roads/bridges projects under its schemes ensures
that the projects which are sanctioned conform to the latest specifications and other
codal provisions.
(c) As on 04.02.2026, the details of the funds released for the State of Assam
under various schemes of MDoNER and the unspent balance lying in the Central
Nodal Agency (CNA) account are as under:
S. Scheme Funds Released Unspent Amount in CNA
No. (Rs in Cr.) (Rs. in Cr.)
1 PM-DevINE 547.20 100.77
2 NESIDS - OTRI 4131.70 119.51
3 NESIDS - Roads 1068.70 46.37
4 Schemes of NEC 1565.70 34.72
The MDoNER follows up on a regular basis with the State Governments of
NER, inter-alia, including Assam for expeditious utilization of funds released to them.(d) As per the Basic Road Statistics of India 2019-20 published by the MoRTH in
2025, Assam’s road network density per 1000 sq. km is 5741 km, which is well
above the national average of 1661 km, indicating a relatively dense road network in
the State compared to other States in the country.
(e) The MDoNER has introduced several reforms in the recent past to ensure
timely implementation of the projects and to streamline the fund release mechanism
that are summarized below:
(i) Guidelines of Schemes of PM-DevINE, NESIDS (OTRI), NESIDS (Roads)
have been simplified to jointly consider Concept Note and DPR of the project
proposals in one go to reduce the lead time in conceptualization and sanction
of projects.
(ii) Financial and sectoral demarcation among the schemes of MDoNER has
been carried out to prevent duplication of sanction of projects across multiple
schemes of MDoNER.
(iii) MDoNER has streamlined the mechanism for the release of funds to the NE
States in four equal installments of 25% each.
(iv) The Poorvottar Vikas Setu portal of the Ministry of DoNER has been
developed and rolled out in 2024. The portal has digitized the process for
submission of Concept Notes and DPR to the MDoNER for expeditious
processing and tracking of all proposals received from the State
Governments.
The aforementioned reforms have enhanced the pace of sanction and execution of
projects that has translated into tangible benefits such as increase in employment
opportunities for the people of North Eastern Region, socio-economic development
of the area, development of tourism industry and increase in industrial activities in
the region and thereby boosting the overall economy of the North-Eastern States.
*****