Photo Courtesy: northeasttoday
Kohima: Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio wants the Centre to shake up how infrastructure gets built in the Northeast. He told federal leaders that the current system for Externally Aided Projects is choking progress. Rio pushed for advance financing and a new fast-track process for clearing projects during a seminar in Shillong.
The current model forces smaller states to pay for construction costs upfront. They only get paid back later. Rio argued that this reimbursement scheme puts a massive strain on local budgets. He told the audience, "The reimbursement-based funding model poses difficulties for smaller states, which must pre-finance projects before receiving funds."
Delays are common. Projects get stuck in bureaucratic red tape or grind to a halt because of mandatory community consultations. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and other regional leaders listened as Rio demanded more efficiency. He wants clear paths forward to stop timelines from slipping.
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