The North Eastern Council (NEC) has reported a total expenditure of Rs 1,496.78 crore during the financial year 2025–26, signalling a significant acceleration in development across the Northeast.

According to officials, the expenditure includes Rs 792.12 crore under the Schemes of NEC (SoNEC) and Rs 704.66 crore under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme – Roads (NESIDS-Roads), reflecting a strong focus on connectivity and core infrastructure.

During the year, the NEC sanctioned 54 new projects worth Rs 435.22 crore across sectors such as higher education, health infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, and livelihood generation, the highest number of project approvals in a single year during the current Finance Commission cycle. Additionally, 162 non-project activities worth Rs 24.06 crore were approved, taking total new sanctions to Rs 459.28 crore.

On the implementation front, 136 projects valued at Rs 678.85 crore were completed, along with 161 non-project activities worth Rs 17.28 crore, bringing the total number of completed deliverables to 297.

Under the NESIDS-Roads scheme, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region sanctioned 64 road projects worth Rs 3,037.39 crore across all eight northeastern states during the 15th Finance Commission period, out of which 30 projects worth Rs 1,123.08 crore have already been completed. In 2025–26 alone, expenditure under the scheme reached Rs 704.66 crore, supporting key road and bridge infrastructure.

The NEC Secretariat also carried out 405 field inspections of ongoing projects during the year to ensure quality control, timely execution, and accountability.

Officials highlighted a major improvement in financial management, with committed liabilities reduced from Rs 1,743.48 crore in April 2022 to Rs 813.17 crore by March 2026 which is a decline of over 53 per cent. Pending utilisation certificates also dropped sharply from Rs 440.82 crore in April 2025 to Rs 10.94 crore by early 2026.

The council credited state governments and implementing agencies for their cooperation, and reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating inclusive growth in the region in line with the vision of a “Viksit North East” and “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.