MDoNER tells Nagaland to accelerate PM-DevINE projects

No carry-forward of 14th and 15th Finance Commission liabilitiesKohima, October 21 (MExN): Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (MDoNER) Dr Vipul Aggarwal on Wednesday urged the Nagaland government to prioritise projects for submission under the 16th Finance Commission and send proposals by the end of October.Aggarwal, who is on his second visit to the state, made the remarks at a meeting held in the office chamber of the Development Commissioner, Kohima to review the progress of projects under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) and other MDoNER schemes.An update from the state IPR stated that he advised departments not to wait for final allocation figures before submitting their priority lists. Liabilities under the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions would not be carried forward to the 17th Finance Commission, he said.Aggarwal sought clarifications on several projects, including a 50-bed hospital at the new district headquarters of Peren, a multispeciality hospital at Chümoukedima, and indoor and outdoor stadium facilities at Peren Government College.Stressing timely implementation, he called for a clear roadmap for project completion, with priority for older projects and those that could be finished by the next financial year. He also asked departments to expedite works, cut timelines wherever possible and respond promptly to queries.Major PM-DevINE projects should be closely monitored and prioritised for early completion, he said, calling for objective, need-based proposals and targeted interventions to address critical gaps in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) performance.Funding support was available for deserving projects, but timely implementation and completion were essential, Aggarwal said. While acknowledging the progress made by other northeastern states, he said Nagaland needed to do more to improve its socio-economic development and ensure effective implementation.71 MDoNER-funded projects ongoing Principal Secretary and Development Commissioner Y Kikheto Sema thanked the Centre and MDoNER for the financial assistance extended since the ministry’s establishment in 1998, but said the funding had not been commensurate with the state’s developmental needs.He said Nagaland received a total of Rs 5,339.50 crore under MDoNER between 1998 and 2025, which was lower than the amount sanctioned to several other northeastern states. Nagaland was the third-lowest recipient in the region despite being the second-oldest northeastern state after Assam, he said, calling for greater financial support.Sema said the state currently had 71 ongoing MDoNER-funded projects. While several had been completed, implementation of some had been affected by land-related issues, natural calamities and delays on the part of contractors, he said.The state government was making concerted efforts to resolve these issues, including taking up matters requiring intervention at the Chief Minister’s level, he added.He urged the ministry to take a considerate view of delays, keeping in mind the state’s unique landholding system and other challenges, and requested that the issue of refunds of previously allocated funds be considered in this context.Sema also pointed to instances in which the Centre had agreed to provide additional funding outside the state’s normal allocation, but the amount was subsequently adjusted within the existing allocation. He urged the ministry to maintain clarity and consistency in such commitments.Highlighting disparities in SDG performance between Nagaland and other states, as well as among its districts, he said the government would prioritise sectors and districts with critical gaps, including road connectivity, healthcare and education.With government jobs nearing saturation, the state was exploring alternative livelihood avenues for youth, including plantation and commercial crops such as coffee, tea, rubber and agarwood, as well as eco-tourism, he said.Sema said Nagaland was looking forward to an era of peace, progress and development, and that its peaceful situation should be seen as an opportunity to give greater impetus to development.He assured that coordination meetings would be held with all line departments to review project status, address implementation issues and ensure timely completion.Representatives of the line departments presented updates on their projects, followed by discussions on progress, challenges and measures to expedite implementation.Aggarwal, along with a team from the line departments, is scheduled to visit project sites on Thursday. These include the Kohima Multidisciplinary Sports Centre at the IG Stadium Complex; educational infrastructure at polytechnics in the state; a 220/132 kV and 132/33 kV substation with associated transmission lines at Tsitrongse in Dimapur; and the upgradation of the Radiation Oncology Centre at CIHSR, Dimapur. All these projects are under PM-DevINE.