Northeast development gets Rs 3.37 lakh cr from Govt in past 9 years: Anurag Thakur

Union Minister Anurag Thakur reported to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the government has allocated a total of Rs 3.37 lakh crore for developmental initiatives in the northeastern states over the past nine years.
Addressing a query regarding sports infrastructure in the Northeast, Thakur outlined the extensive work undertaken by the Modi government for the region’s comprehensive development. In the last nine years, the road network in the Northeast has expanded from 8,480 km to roughly 16,000 km to enhance connectivity. Thakur, who also serves as the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, also noted that the number of airports has doubled and rail connectivity is being upgraded.
Thakur underscored the government’s dedication to the Northeast’s progress, pointing out that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the Northeast 60 times in the last nine years.” Currently, he said, 1,350 projects worth Rs 15,760 crore are being carried out across all central government departments in the Northeast.
He stressed the crucial role of sports federations in capitalising on the growing infrastructure to host sports events in the Northeast, and acknowledged the region’s track record of producing internationally acclaimed athletes. “Sports being a State subject, the responsibility of development of sports, including development of sports infrastructure facilities, rests primarily with state/Union Territory governments. The central government only supplements their efforts by bridging critical gaps,” Thakur added.
The minister mentioned the establishment of the first National Sports University in Imphal, Manipur, with a sanctioned cost of Rs 643.34 crore, operational since 2018. The Ministry has also approved 75 sports infrastructure projects costing Rs 520.60 crore under the Khelo India Scheme and the National Sports Development Fund in the Northeast. Additionally, the Sports Authority of India operates several centres of excellence and training centres in the region.
He concluded by contrasting previous governments’ “Look-East” policy with the current administration’s more proactive “Act-East” approach under PM Modi’s leadership.