Overview
- At a seminar in Shillong on June 19, 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said externally aided project support to the Northeast rose from about Rs 9,000 crore in 2004–2014 to nearly Rs 76,000 crore in 2014–2026 and called EAPs a development model rather than just loans.
- The Centre highlighted a major push in connectivity with more than 10,000 km of roads built since 2014 and around 5,000 km of highways under construction, which officials say is key to linking producers to wider markets.
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked for higher borrowing and access limits and noted Assam has about Rs 53,000 crore of EAP projects under implementation, while Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang proposed shifting EAPs in the Himalayan and Northeastern states toward 90 percent grants and 10 percent loans.
- Speakers said EAPs bring non-financial gains such as global best practices in project design, procurement and environmental safeguards, but smaller states warn that required counterpart funding, long appraisal timelines and capacity gaps are slowing delivery.
- Sitharaman inaugurated Northeast India’s largest organic spice processing unit in Ri‑Bhoi, Meghalaya, a Rs 32 crore facility with over 10,000 tonnes annual capacity that is expected to directly benefit about 5,500 organic farmers and illustrate the push for local value‑addition.