A NEW SCHEME, PRIME MINISTER’S DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE FOR NORTH EAST ‘PM-DevINE’ ANNOUNCED; ₹ 1500 CRORE ALLOCATED

A new scheme, Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North-East,PM-DevINE was announced by the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget 2022-23 here today.

The Finance Minister stated that the PM-DevINE will be implemented through the North-Eastern Council. An initial allocation of ₹ 1,500 crore will be made for the new scheme. It will fund infrastructure, in the spirit of PM GatiShakti, and social development projects based on felt needs of the North-East. This will enable livelihood activities for youth and women, filling the gaps in various sectors, the Minister explained. However, it will not be a substitute for existing central or state Schemes. While the central ministries may also pose their candidate projects, priority will be given to those posed by the states.

The initial list of projects to be funded under the Scheme is given below:

INITIAL LIST OF PROJECTS UNDER PM DevINE

S.No.	Name of the Project	Total tentative cost (Rs. In crore)
1	Establishment of Dedicated Services for the Management of Paediatric and Adult Haemotolymphoid Cancers in North East India, Guwahati (Multi-State)	129
2	NECTAR Livelihood Improvement Project (Multi-State)	67
3	Promoting Scientific Organic Agriculture in North East Indian (Multi-State)	45
4	Construction of Aizawl By-pass on Western Side	500
5	Gap funding for Passenger Ropeway system for Pelling to Sanga-Choeling in West Sikkim	64
6	Gap funding for Eco-friendly Ropeway (Cable Car) from Dhapper to Bhaleydhunga in South Sikkim	58
7	Pilot Project for Construction of Bamboo Link Road at Different Locations in Various Districts in the State of Mizoram	100
8	Others (to be identified)	537
	TOTAL	1500

 

Regional development initiative funds North-East infrastructure and social projects, prioritising state-nominated proposals over centrally proposed ones. PM-DevINE is a regional development scheme implemented through the North-Eastern Council to fund infrastructure and social development projects addressing felt needs in the North-East. It supports multi-state and state-specific initiatives to promote livelihoods, fill sectoral gaps, and provide gap-funding for connective and pilot projects. The scheme is complementary to existing programmes, prioritises state-nominated projects while allowing central ministries to propose candidates, and includes an initial illustrative project list across healthcare, agriculture, transport, and livelihood interventions.