State yet to submit proper proposal for Centre sponsored NESID Scheme

GUWAHATI: The Assam government has not yet submitted a proper proposal for the Centre-sponsored NESID Scheme of Rs 51.13 crore. As a result, the Ministry of DoNER (Development of the North Eastern Region) has not been able to sanction the amount after the Health Ministry raised objections to the State government's proposal on a number of points. Now, just five months are left for the current fiscal (2020-2021) to end.

In the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, the DoNER Ministry had earmarked Rs 148.62 crore to strengthen health infrastructure across Assam. Of this amount, Rs 97.49 crore was sanctioned during a meeting of the NESIDS inter-ministerial committee in New Delhi on June 18 this year. The remaining portion of Rs 51.13 crore pertains to the mentioned NESID schemes.

Later for securing the sanctioning of this pending amount (Rs 51.13 crore), the Transformation & Development Department submitted another proposal worth Rs 41 crore to the DoNER Ministry. However, the Health Ministry found certain technical flaws in the fresh proposal. Department sources said that steps are being taken to clarify the points raised by the Health Ministry.

The NESIDS (North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme) funding is meant for the projects of physical infrastructure relating to water supply, power and connectivity enhancing tourism and social infrastructure relating to the primary and secondary sectors of education and health.