In the last nine years, the government has spent almost Rs 3.37 lakh crore on NE States’ development

According to Union Minister Anurag Thakur, the government has spent Rs 3.37 lakh crore on development projects in northeastern states during the last nine years.

The minister emphasized the effort done by the Modi administration over the last nine years for the general development of the area in response to a query on sports infrastructure amenities in the Northeast.

The Northeast’s road network has grown to almost 16,000 km from 8,480 km during the last nine years in order to increase connectivity, the youth affairs and sports minister said in a written response.

 

In the last nine years, the number of airports has increased, and rail connection is improving, he said.

 

“Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has visited the Northeast 60 times in the last nine years,” Thakur added, pointing out that this demonstrates the government’s dedication to and sincerity about the development of the area.

 

According to Thakur, 1,350 projects totaling Rs 15,760 crore are now being carried out in the Northeast by all central government ministries.

 

In the last nine years, around Rs 3,37,000 crore had been spent on the Northeastern area, according to the minister.

 

Organizing sporting events in the Northeast, according to him, would be made easier by the development of infrastructural facilities, but sports federations would need to take the lead.

 

“There was a ‘Look-East’ strategy in prior regimes. But under the direction of Prime Minister Modi, we have worked with the ‘Act-East’ strategy,” Thakur remarked.

 

The Northeastern states, according to Thakur, have produced numerous well-known athletes on a global scale.

 

“Since sports are a state matter, it is essentially the duty of state and union territory governments to develop sports, including the creation of sports infrastructure facilities. By filling such crucial gaps, the central government only supports their efforts, he said.

 

The first National Sports University in the Northeast, according to Thakur, was created in Imphal, Manipur, at a sanctioned cost of Rs 643.34 crore, and it has been operational since 2018.

 

In the Northeast, the Khelo India Scheme and the National Sports Development Fund have sanctioned 75 sports infrastructure projects at a total sanctioned cost of Rs 520.60 crore.

 

The government has also informed 22 Khelo India approved sports academies, 227 Khelo India Centers, and eight Khelo India State Centers of Excellence in Northeastern states.

 

In addition, the Northeast is home to six Extension Centers of SAI Training Centres (STC), 12 SAI Training Centres (STC), and three National Centres of Excellence managed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), an independent organisation under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.