In a significant push to accelerate development in India's northeastern region, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has called upon the central government to make the creation of robust, all-weather connectivity its top priority. He made this urgent appeal during the second meeting of the high-level task force dedicated to enhancing logistics, infrastructure, and connectivity across the eight northeastern states.
Addressing Core Challenges to Unlock Potential
Chief Minister Saha, while highlighting the immense untapped development potential of the northeast, did not shy away from outlining the critical hurdles stalling progress. He pinpointed exorbitantly high logistics costs, persistent communication barriers, and a significant infrastructural deficit as the primary obstacles hindering growth. These challenges, he argued, prevent the region from fully integrating with the national economy and realizing its strategic and economic promise.
Saha emphasized that the high-level task force serves as a crucial, unified platform. It allows all the states in the region to collaborate in a structured manner, presenting a collective front to systematically address these long-standing issues. This coordinated approach is seen as vital for formulating and implementing effective solutions.
Central Funding and Strategic Initiatives
Responding to the concerns and proposals from the states, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jyotiraditya Scindia, outlined the substantial financial commitment made by the central government. He revealed that over the past five years, the DoNER ministry has allocated a total of Rs 15,905.86 crore to the northeastern states under various flagship schemes.
This substantial funding has been channeled through several key initiatives, including:
- The Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE)
- North Eastern Council (NEC) schemes
- North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS)
- Special Development Packages
- The North East Entrepreneurs Development Scheme
Scindia specifically noted that from this allocation, the state of Tripura has received Rs 702.90 crore to support its development projects and infrastructure upgrades.
A Collaborative Push for Regional Transformation
The high-level meeting witnessed participation from key stakeholders across the region, underscoring its collaborative nature. Alongside Union Minister Scindia and Tripura CM Saha, the meeting was attended by Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, the Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh, and the Secretary of Industries and Commerce of Sikkim. Senior officials from the DoNER ministry and various other northeastern states also contributed to the discussions.
The collective focus remained on transforming the connectivity landscape. The push for multimodal connectivity—integrating road, rail, air, and waterways—is viewed as a game-changer. Reliable, all-weather links are expected to drastically reduce logistics costs, attract investments, boost tourism, and facilitate smoother movement of goods and people, ultimately accelerating the socio-economic development of the entire northeastern region.
