Infrastructure Projects in North-East

Infrastructure Projects in North-East

News: Recently, India's Finance Minister announced the execution of several rail, road and air connectivity projects worth Rs. 1,34,200 crore in the northeast.

What are the major projects?

Rail, Road and Air connectivity
• 4,000 km of roads, 20 railway projects for 2,011 km and 15 air connectivity projects are being developed.

Waterways Connectivity
• The cost of travel through water is least when compared to air, road and rail networks. The river systems of India and Bangladesh can be leveraged for all types of transportation.
• National Waterways on the Ganges (NW-1), on the Brahmaputra (NW-2) and on the Barak (NW-16) are under development to provide better connectivity.

North-Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP)
• It is a major step towards economic development of the North Eastern Region through strengthening of Intra-State transmission and distribution systems.
• Government is also emphasizing on projects related to power transmission, distribution, mobile networks, 4G, and broadband connectivity.

Prime Minister’s Development initiative for North East (PM-DevINE)
• Announced in Budget 2022-23, this will fund infrastructure in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti, and social development projects based on felt needs of the North-East.

Why North-East matters?

Links with South-East Asia
• With Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) engagement becoming a central pillar of India’s foreign policy direction, North-East states play an important role as the physical bridge between India and Southeast Asia.
• The India's Act East Policy places the northeastern states on the territorial frontier of India's eastward engagement.

Strategic Location
• The North-East is strategically located at a junction with access to the traditional domestic market of eastern India, along with proximity to the major states in the east and adjacent countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Tourist Potential
• Northeast of India is home to many wildlife sanctuaries like Kaziranga National Park famous for the one horned rhinoceros, Manas National Park, Nameri, Orang, Dibru Saikhowa in Assam, Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh, Balpakram in Meghalaya, Keibul Lamjao in Manipur, Intanki in Nagaland, Khangchendzonga in Sikkim.

Economic importance
• North-East accounts for around 34% of the country’s water resources and almost 40% of India’s hydropower potential.

Way Forward
• Investing in infrastructure would not only generate employment but it will also provide a major role in stabilizing the region which has historically suffered ignorance.
• India’s North East is surrounded by national and international borders, so, national and international infrastructure development will be the best choice for inclusive development in India’s Northeast.