Highest project sanctions in current finance commission cycle
SHILLONG, April 24 (MExN): The North Eastern Council (NEC), the apex statutory body for the planning and development of India's eight north eastern states, recorded a total expenditure of Rs 1,496.78 crore in the financial year 2025-26, signalling a decisive acceleration in the region's development trajectory.
The expenditure comprised Rs 792.12 crore under the Schemes of NEC (SoNEC) and Rs 704.66 crore under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme – Roads (NESIDS-Roads), stated a DIPR report.
In 2025-26, NEC sanctioned 54 new projects valued at Rs 435.22 crore, the highest single-year project count in the current 15th Finance Commission cycle. The projects span higher education, health infrastructure, industries, agriculture and horticulture, tourism, livelihood and cultural preservation.
An additional 162 non-project activities, including cultural festivals, seminars, workshops, and awareness programmes worth Rs 24.06 crore, were sanctioned, taking total new sanctions for the year to Rs 459.28 crore.
A total of 136 projects worth Rs 678.85 crore were completed during the year — the second highest annual completion figure in the current Finance Commission cycle. Another 161 non-project activities worth Rs 17.28 crore were also completed and closed, bringing the year's total deliverables to 297.
Under NESIDS-Roads, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region sanctioned 64 road projects worth Rs 3,037.39 crore across all eight states during the 15th Finance Commission period. Of these, 30 projects worth Rs 1,123.08 crore have been completed.
In 2025-26 alone, NESIDS-Roads expenditure reached Rs 704.66 crore, delivering critical connectivity infrastructure including bridges over major rivers and road upgradation projects across the North Eastern Region.
One of NEC's most significant governance achievements this year has been the sharp reduction in financial liabilities. Committed liabilities fell from Rs 1,743.48 crore as on April 1, 2022 to Rs 813.17 crore as on March 31, 2026 — a reduction of over 53 per cent in four years.
Pending Utilisation Certificates (UCs) saw an even more dramatic decline, dropping from Rs 440.82 crore as on April 1, 2025 to just Rs 10.94 crore by February-March 2026, a reduction of over 97 per cent within a single financial year.
The NEC Secretariat also conducted 405 field inspections of ongoing projects during 2025-26 to ensure quality control, timely completion, and accountability in project execution.
The NEC reaffirmed its commitment to working in close partnership with all north eastern states toward the vision of a Viksit North East by 2047, in alignment with the Prime Minister's vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
The Council functions under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister and the vice chairmanship of the Minister for Development of North Eastern Region.
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