Shillong : The North Eastern Council (NEC) has spent nearly Rs 1,500 crore during the 2025-26 financial year, underscoring a renewed push towards infrastructure development and regional connectivity across the Northeast, officials said.

According to official data, the council’s total expenditure stood at Rs 1,496.78 crore. Of this, Rs 792.12 crore was utilised under the Schemes of NEC (SoNEC), while Rs 704.66 crore was spent through the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme-Roads (NESIDS-Roads), highlighting a strong focus on road infrastructure and core sector expansion.

During the financial year, the NEC approved 54 new projects with a total outlay of Rs 435.22 crore spanning sectors such as higher education, healthcare, agriculture and horticulture, tourism, and livelihood generation. Additionally, 162 non-project activities worth Rs 24.06 crore were sanctioned.

On the implementation front, 136 projects valued at Rs 678.85 crore were completed during FY 2025-26. Alongside these, 161 non-project activities were also concluded, taking the total number of completed initiatives to 297.

Officials emphasised that improving connectivity remains a key priority. Under the NESIDS-Roads scheme, 64 projects worth Rs 3,037.39 crore have been approved across the region during the tenure of the 15th Finance Commission of India. Of these, 30 projects amounting to Rs 1,123.08 crore have already been completed.

To ensure quality and timely execution, the NEC Secretariat carried out 405 field inspections over the year, aimed at strengthening monitoring mechanisms and maintaining accountability in project implementation.

The council also reported improvements in financial management. Committed liabilities were reduced significantly from Rs 1,743.48 crore in April 2022 to Rs 813.17 crore by March 2026. Pending utilisation certificates also dropped by over 97 per cent, reaching Rs 10.94 crore in FY26.

Officials said the NEC will continue to work in close coordination with northeastern states to promote inclusive growth and advance the long-term goal of building a developed Northeast by 2047.