Context
The Centre is implementing various rail, road and air connectivity projects worth Rs 1,34,200 crore in Northeast India, as per a recent update from the Union Finance Ministry.
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Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence (NADI)
- The update was given at Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence conclave.
- The NADI is an international river conference to articulate the collective vision of cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and the Southeast Asian region.
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India’s North-East Region
- India’s North East Region (NER) forms the easternmost border of India.
- It comprises eight, largely hilly states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim and Nagaland.
- The region shares international borders of 5,812 km with the neighbouring countries of China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.
- The landlocked NER is connected with mainland India by only the narrow 22-km-long Siliguri corridor, also known as the ‘chicken’s neck’, flanked by Nepal and Bangladesh.
Key-highlights of the ongoing projects in the region
- Rail projects: The government is carrying out 20 rail projects for 2,011 kilometres, worth an amount of Rs 74,000 crore, which are spread across the northeast region.
- Road projects: The central government is also developing 4,000 kilometres of roads in the region at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore.
- Air projects: At present, there are 15 ongoing projects for air connectivity in the northeastern region, costing nearly Rs 2,200 crore.
- National Waterways: Work is being carried out to develop the National Waterways on the Ganges, the Brahmaputra as well as Barak rivers.
- The government is further developing the National Waterways (NW)-1 on the Ganga, NW-2 on the Brahmaputra and NW-16 on the Barak.
- India-Bangladesh riverine system: India and Bangladesh have as many as 50 riverine systems, which can be leveraged for all kinds of transportation purposes as the travel cost through water is the least compared to air, rail and road networks.
- The number of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Routes has been increased to 10 from the existing eight.
- Telecom connectivity projects: Mobile connectivity in the 8 NER states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, seamless coverage along National Highways, as well as Bharat Net and Wi-Fi Connectivity for Village Panchayats in NER.
- Important Schemes: The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) is conducting various schemes:
- Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) and its successor North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS)
- North Eastern Council (NEC)
- North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS)
Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER)
- The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) is responsible for planning, execution and monitoring developmental schemes and projects in Northeast India.
- It was set up in 2001 and converted into a full-fledged Ministry in 2004.
- It is the only Ministry with a territorial jurisdiction, and functions to coordinate developmental efforts in the region.
- It coordinates with the specific ministries and departments responsible for implementation of programmes or facilitating a development initiative. However, the concerned ministry or department retains responsibility for the implementation.
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