Page "North Eastern Council" Paragraph 8

1. 4 As the benefits of economic development have yet to steadily accrue to the Region, efforts have been initiated in this direction in the recent past through various supportive measures.

In October 1996, the then Prime Minister announced " New Initiatives for North Eastern Region " and stipulated that at least 10 % of the Budget ( s ) of the Central Ministries / Department will be earmarked for the development of North Eastern States.

A preliminary exercise undertaken by the Planning Commission in consultation with the various Ministries / Department revealed that the expenditure on the North East by some Union Ministries during 1997-98 fell short of the stipulated 10 % of the GBS for that year.

Planning Commission thereafter explored the possibility of creating a Central Pool of Resources for the North East out of the unspent amount of stipulated 10 % of GBS to support infrastructure development projects in the North East.