ITANAGAR, Apr 24: The North Eastern Council (NEC), the apex statutory body for regional planning and development in the Northeast, registered a significant milestone in the financial year 2025–26, with a total expenditure of Rs 1,496.78 crore.
Of the total, Rs 792.12 crore was utilised under the Schemes of NEC (SoNEC), while Rs 704.66 crore was spent under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme – Roads (NESIDS-Roads). The robust expenditure reflects a marked acceleration in the region’s development trajectory.
During the year, NEC sanctioned 54 new projects worth Rs 435.22 crore across key sectors such as higher education, health infrastructure, industries, agriculture and horticulture, tourism, livelihood, and cultural preservation. This marks the highest number of project sanctions in a single year during the current 15th Finance Commission cycle.
Additionally, 162 non-project activities—including cultural festivals, seminars, workshops, and awareness programmes—worth Rs 24.06 crore were approved, bringing the total new sanctions for the year to Rs 459.28 crore.
NEC also reported the completion of 136 projects valued at Rs 678.85 crore during 2025–26, the second-highest annual completion figure in the ongoing Finance Commission period. Alongside, 161 non-project activities worth Rs 17.28 crore were successfully completed, bringing the total number of deliverables during the year to 297.
Under NESIDS-Roads, the DoNER Ministry has sanctioned 64 road projects worth Rs 3,037.39 crore across all eight Northeastern states during the 15th Finance Commission period. Of these, 30 projects worth Rs 1,123.08 crore have already been completed.
In 2025–26 alone, expenditure under the scheme reached Rs 704.66 crore, contributing to the development of critical connectivity infrastructure, including bridges over major rivers and road upgradation projects across the region.
To ensure quality and timely implementation, the NEC Secretariat conducted 405 field inspections of ongoing projects during the financial year. This strengthened monitoring framework has played a crucial role in improving accountability and execution efficiency.
In a major governance achievement, NEC significantly reduced its committed liabilities and pending Utilisation Certificates (UCs). Committed liabilities declined from Rs 1,743.48 crore as of April 1, 2022, to Rs 813.17 crore as of March 31, 2026—a reduction of over 53 percent.
Meanwhile, pending UCs dropped sharply from Rs 440.82 crore as of April 1, 2025, to just Rs 10.94 crore by February–March 2026, reflecting a reduction of over 97 percent within a single financial year.
The NEC Secretary expressed gratitude to the state governments and implementing agencies for their continued support and cooperation in advancing developmental priorities in the region.
Guided by the leadership of the NEC Chairperson, the Union Home Minister, and the Vice Chairperson, the Minister for Development of North Eastern Region, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to fostering inclusive growth.
NEC also reiterated its resolve to work closely with all NE states towards achieving the vision of a “Viksit North East” by 2047, in alignment with the broader goal of a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.