Giving boost to the North East region, the central government has launched a “Hill Area Development Programme”in Imphal, the capital city of Manipur. This programme is aimed at giving a focused attention to the lesser developed hilly areas and will be initiated on a pilot basis in the hilly districts of Manipur.
The government has also signed a Rs 251 crore loan agreement with the World Bank to improve the access in the delivery of selected public services in Assam. The project seeks to enable citizens to access services under the Right To Public Service Act in a timely, efficient, and accountable manner. The project adopts an integrated approach to improve access and accountability.
The Hill Area Development programme will focus on the mountainous areas of Manipur, Tripura and Assam which have lagged behind in socio-economic development owing to their distinct topography. The programme aims to bridge the gap between the hill and valley districts in terms of infrastructure, quality of roads, health and education.
The scheme was launched by Union Minister of State (Ind Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region, Dr Jitendra Singh. The Chief Minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh was also present at the occasion.
Dr Singh also addressed a meet of investors and entrepreneurs, organised by NEDFi (North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd), with joint participation of the Union Ministry of DoNER and the Government of Manipur.
The Assam programme started with the World Bank is of $49 million, of which $ 39.2 million will be financed by the Bank, and the remaining amount will be funded-out of State Budget. The programme duration is 5 years.
