Mizoram CM calls for equal budget for NESIDS and NEC

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Saturday urged the Centre to allocate equal budget to the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) and North Eastern Council (NEC) scheme to accelerate development in the region, an official statement here said. 

Speaking at the North East Council's plenary session chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Agartala, Lalduhoma emphasised the need for the appointment of a full-fledged NEC secretary to enhance administrative efficiency, it said.

He said equal budgetary allocation to NESIDS and NEC schemes will benefit key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and tourism.

Lalduhoma urged for the extension of NESIDS to cover urban water supply to address the challenges of rapid urbanisation. NESIDS is a central scheme to address infrastructural gaps in some sectors in the northeastern region. 

He called for special consideration in cost-sharing arrangements under schemes such as Command Area Development (CAD), urging a 90:10 funding pattern for the Northeast, similar to other centrally sponsored schemes. 

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The chief minister urged the DoNER Ministry to enhance the sanctioning power of NEC to expedite project implementation and simplify the project approval process to reduce delays caused by multi-level approvals. 

He emphasised the importance of regular reviews under the 10 per cent Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) and the newly implemented changes in fund release mechanisms to accelerate project implementation. 

During his address, Lalduhoma stressed investments and employment generation and underscored Mizoram's ambition to establish an investment zone with world-class infrastructure and a strong focus on 'ease of doing business'. He pointed out that over 50 per cent of Mizoram's population is engaged in agriculture and allied sectors, but their contribution to the state's GDP remains minimal. 

Lalduhoma said his government has launched the state's flagship programme -- 'Bana Kaih' or handholding scheme -- in September to provide financial assistance and support to entrepreneurs and farmers through a series of targeted programmes designed to promote economic growth and self-sufficiency. The scheme offers interest-free, collateral-free loans of up to Rs 50 lakh to support beneficiaries, he said. 

The 'Bana Kaih' scheme has already attracted 11,397 applications and will be implemented by convergence with central schemes such as the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and Kisan Credit Card (KCC).