Centre makes NE fund model from 90:10 to 100:0

The Government of India has changed the fund flow pattern to the North East and from 90:10 model adopted by VP Singh Government, it is now 100:0 model.

Whichmeans the state government do not have to contribute anything and the entirefunding will henceforth come from the Centre.

DoNERMinister Dr Jitendra Singh yesterday announced this, while interacting withmedia.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has drawn up a target of over 200 projects worth Rs 3,000 crore in the Northeast, out of which action plan for 201 projects has been finalised.

DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh interacting with the media on completion of 100 days of the Narendra Modi government disclosed that 110 projects costing Rs 1,699.69 crore have been sanctioned for the Northeast.

Atleast 19 projects costing Rs 641.56 crore have been started, while 66 projectscosting Rs 820.77 crore have been completed. At least six projects costing Rs39.95 crore have been operationalised, Dr Singh said.

Among the mega projects sanctioned by the DoNER Ministry includes the construction of a double-lane road from Lanka to Umrangso costing Rs 199.50 crore. Another project in Assam is Digboi town water supply scheme built at an estimated cost of Rs 44.52 crore.

Theminister said in-principle approval has been accorded for the first 'BambooIndustrial Park'. It will be established at Manderdisa in Dima Hasao districtin an area of 75 hectares at a cost of Rs 50 crore. The project is targeted forcompletion by March 2021.

DrSingh said that in a record of sorts, the DoNER Ministry has receivedutilisation certificates (UCs) for funds amounting to over Rs 700 crore fromthe northeastern states. He attributed this to revised norms and streamliningof the process of sanctioning funds.

According to the revised guidelines, the ministry allots only Rs 10 lakh while sanctioning a project, while on the issue of work order 40 per cent fund is sanctioned. After that, the funds are sanctioned according to the progress of the project work. The ministry has also started monitoring the physical progress of the infrastructure projects using satellite pictures supplied by the North Eastern Space Application Centre.

Theminister said that they have reviewed the long-standing and languishingprojects in the region and revised the priority list of the projects. Theprojects were languishing on account of sanction of funds and non-submission ofUCs.

DrSingh said the DoNER Ministry is working on a number of new proposals,including reservation of two bogeys of trains for fruits like pineapple. Thetrain bogeys could be used like cold storage and the produce will reach marketsin Delhi directly from the Northeast. The pineapples may be procured directlyby NAFED on the lines of apples being procured in Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

The next big project the ministry is working on is the introduction of helicopter-based health service in remote areas of the Northeast. The idea is to deploy helicopters that will carry doctors and paramedics who will offer OPD (outpatient department) service to the people in remote areas, he said.

Theinitial dialogue in this regard has been held with Pawan Hans Limited and theDoNER Ministry has already given Rs 100 crore to the Civil Aviation Ministryfor the purpose, he said.