Massive Rs 3,200 Crore Infrastructure Funds Remain Unspent in Northeast India
Despite repeated promises of new roads, hospitals, and schools for the Northeast region, a stark reality check emerged in Parliament on Thursday. More than Rs 3,200 crore allocated for critical infrastructure development remains unspent, highlighting significant implementation delays.
Parliamentary Disclosure Reveals Staggering Backlog
In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Sukanta Majumdar disclosed that ongoing projects under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) carry an outstanding central liability of Rs 3,206.18 crore as of December 31, 2025. This substantial amount represents funds that have been allocated but not yet utilized for their intended purposes.
Currently, there are over 160 projects still under implementation across the eight northeastern states, with completion timelines extended due to various challenges. The revelation comes at a time when the government has been emphasizing accelerated development in the region through numerous initiatives and policy measures.
State-Wise Distribution of Pending Funds
The breakdown of unspent amounts reveals significant disparities among the northeastern states:
- Assam tops the list with Rs 1,012.87 crore pending across 35 projects
- Manipur follows with Rs 441.38 crore in unspent funds
- Nagaland has Rs 406.09 crore awaiting utilization
- Arunachal Pradesh shows Rs 395.37 crore in pending allocations
- Tripura accounts for Rs 308.71 crore
- Mizoram has Rs 275.81 crore unspent
- Meghalaya reports Rs 258.05 crore pending
- Sikkim completes the list with Rs 107.90 crore
Sectoral Analysis of Infrastructure Delays
The backlog spans multiple critical infrastructure sectors, with some areas experiencing more significant delays than others:
- Roads and Bridges: Account for the largest backlog of Rs 1,402.11 crore across 53 projects
- Education Projects: Have pending dues of Rs 774.55 crore
- Health Infrastructure: Rs 317.87 crore remains unspent
- Other Sectors: Power, water supply, sports, tourism, digital connectivity, and civil aviation collectively make up the remaining outstanding amount
Long-Delayed Projects and Implementation Challenges
The government further informed Parliament that 30 projects—three under NESIDS (Roads) and 27 under NESIDS (Other Than Roads Infrastructure)—were sanctioned more than two years ago but still have over 50% of their approved costs unspent. These delays represent significant setbacks in the region's development timeline.
Officials have attributed the persistent delays to multiple challenging factors, including difficult terrain conditions, complex land acquisition issues, prolonged statutory clearances, and financial closure complications. The implementation timelines often depend heavily on local conditions that vary significantly across the geographically diverse northeastern states.
Background of the NESIDS Scheme
The North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme was launched in 2017–18 with the objective of supporting comprehensive infrastructure development across the region. The scheme was later divided into two distinct components: roads infrastructure and other infrastructure projects.
NESIDS encompasses a wide range of development projects including highways, bridges, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, water supply systems, and solid waste management infrastructure. States select projects based on local priorities and needs, while fund allocation follows a formula considering factors such as population, geographical area, road density, availability of hospital beds, and access to drinking water facilities.
The current situation highlights the gap between allocation and actual implementation, raising questions about project management efficiency and the need for streamlined processes to ensure that allocated funds translate into tangible infrastructure improvements for the people of Northeast India.
