Shillong, April 2026: The North Eastern Council (NEC) has recorded a significant boost in regional development, utilising ₹1,496.78 crore during the financial year 2025–26, marking one of its most impactful years under the 15th Finance Commission cycle.
According to an official press release, the total expenditure includes ₹792.12 crore under Schemes of NEC (SoNEC) and ₹704.66 crore under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS–Roads), reflecting accelerated infrastructure and development activities across the region.
During the year, NEC sanctioned 54 new projects worth ₹435.22 crore across sectors such as higher education, healthcare, agriculture, tourism, and livelihood development. Additionally, 162 non-project initiatives including cultural festivals, seminars, and awareness programmes worth ₹24.06 crore were approved, taking the total new sanctions to ₹459.28 crore.
The Council also achieved strong project delivery, completing 136 projects valued at ₹678.85 crore, along with 161 non-project activities, bringing the total number of completed deliverables to 297 in a single year.
Under the NESIDS–Roads initiative, 64 projects worth ₹3,037.39 crore have been sanctioned across all eight northeastern states during the 15th Finance Commission period, out of which 30 projects valued at ₹1,123.08 crore have already been completed.
To ensure accountability and timely execution, the NEC Secretariat carried out 405 field inspections during the year, strengthening monitoring mechanisms for ongoing projects.
In a major governance achievement, NEC significantly reduced its committed financial liabilities by over 53%, bringing it down from ₹1,743.48 crore in April 2022 to ₹813.17 crore by March 2026. Pending utilisation certificates also saw a sharp decline of over 97% within a year, indicating improved financial discipline and compliance.
The NEC reiterated its commitment to working closely with state governments and stakeholders to accelerate inclusive growth and realise the vision of a developed Northeast by 2047, in alignment with the national goal of a Viksit Bharat.
