Manipur CM urges NITI Aayog to drive state’s recovery and development
The Prime Minister was speaking during an interaction between NITI Aayog and Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of North Eastern States in New Delhi.
Khemchand affirmed that development was the most effective way to end insurgency and unrest in Manipur.
He stated that Manipur has suffered greatly in economic, social and development terms in the last few years.
Stating that NITI Aayog will play a major role in the development of the Northeast and Manipur, the Prime Minister sought NITI Aayog’s assistance in planning economic recovery, coordination with ministries and involvement of international partners.
Singh highlighted that connectivity is one of the most important sectors where Manipur needs sustained and massive investments. Rail connectivity to Imphal, National Highway Projects connecting Imphal to rest of the country, expansion of airport terminal etc. Major projects like these need to be completed early and these projects have the potential to change the development landscape of Manipur.
He also urged NITI Aayog to support projects like Imphal Ring Road Project, Elevated.
Imphal Expressway, Imphal – Moreh Railway Project. The Prime Minister maintained that the Eastern Policy Act envisioned Manipur as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia from the mainland, while the actual implementation of projects faced frequent delays due to cross-border political instability and other related challenges. This has led to a permanent implementation gap.
NITI requested the Aayog to set up a high-level “Quick Action Implementation Unit” tasked with protecting critical cross-border logistics infrastructure from local disruptions.
The Prime Minister also suggested NITI Aayog to set up an ‘Eastern Regional Coordination Cell Act’ in collaboration with the North East Council and bring together the Northeastern States to synchronize border, logistics and security policies on a regular basis.
Singh also stated that medical colleges such as RIMS and JNIMS in the state require significant modernization and there is great potential to provide treatment to patients from Southeast Asia, especially Myanmar.
He stated that NITI Aayog can help by coordinating with the Ministry of Health for the development of Super Specialty Tertiary Care Expansion Framework in Manipur, so that Manipur can become a ‘Medical Tourism Hub’ catering to patients from Southeast Asia.
The Prime Minister noted that internal security problems and civil strife have created a risk premium that has greatly deterred private investment and increased the construction and maintenance costs of projects in the province.
He sought NITI Aayog’s support to design a special fiscal incentive framework providing Vulnerability Fund (VGF) for infrastructure projects facing security challenges.
It also observed that the same financial allocations under various central schemes have provided significantly less physical infrastructure in the Northeast Region and Manipur compared to most parts of the country due to the difficult and hilly terrain of the region.
He suggested that NITI Aayog could help by helping formulate the Land Weighted Cost Index Matrix, which provides 20-30% fiscal premium for central fund distributions to Northeastern states to offset geographical barriers.
Manipur relies heavily on central grants, with its own tax revenue accounting for only 10% of revenue receipts, severely restricting independent development financing, Singh said.
He added that NITI Aayog can help by preparing a roadmap to enhance the Fiscal Capacity of the State through specific interventions such as Financial Stability Grants, flexibility in central program financing and financing and technical assistance from multilateral development banks.
