Parliament on Thursday – File photo New Delhi: Even though new roads, hospitals and schools have been promised for the Northeast, more than Rs 3,200 crore has still not been spent for infrastructure projects in the region – a reality check revealed in Parliament on Thursday. Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Sukant Majumdar said there is an outstanding central liability of Rs 3,206.

18 crore as of December on projects running under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS). 31, 2025. More than 160 projects are still under implementation.

State-wise data shows Assam tops the list with Rs 1,012. 87 crore pending in 35 projects, followed by Manipur (Rs 441. 38 crore), Nagaland (Rs 406.

09 crore) and Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 395. 37 crore).

Other states with large unpaid amounts include Tripura (Rs 308. 71 crore), Mizoram (Rs 275. 81 crore), Meghalaya (Rs 258.

05 crore) and Sikkim (Rs 107. 90 crore). Sector-wise, roads and bridges have the largest outstanding of Rs 1,402.

11 crore across 53 projects. There is an outstanding balance of Rs 774.

55 crore on education projects, while Rs 317. 87 crore is yet to be spent on health infrastructure. Power, water supply, sports, tourism, digital connectivity and civil aviation together make up the remaining dues.

The government also told the House that 30 projects – three under NESIDS (roads) and 27 under NESIDS (other than road infrastructure) – were sanctioned more than two years ago, but still not more than 50% of their sanctioned cost has been spent. Officials attributed the delays to difficult terrain, land issues, statutory approvals and financial constraints, and said timelines often depend on local conditions. NESIDS was launched in 2017-18 and was later divided into two components – roads and other infrastructure – to support projects ranging from highways and bridges to schools, hospitals, water supply and solid waste management.

States select projects based on local priorities, while funding allocation is guided by factors such as population, area, road density, hospital beds and access to drinking water.