Union Cabinet approves new Scheme Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE).

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday, October 12 approved a new scheme called Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) for the remaining four years of the 15th Finance Commission from 2022-23 to 2025-26.

 

According to the official press release, the new Scheme, PM-DevINE, is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% Central funding and will be implemented by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) through North Eastern Council or Central Ministries/ agencies and will have an outlay of Rs.6,600 crore.

The scheme promises to create infrastructure, support industries, social development projects, and create livelihood activities for youth and women, thus leading to employment generation. It also assures projects with substantial socio-economic impact or sustainable livelihood opportunities for the general public such as basic infrastructure in all Primary Health Care Centres, comprehensive facilities in Government Primary and Secondary Schools, etc.

The objectives of PM-DevINE are to:

(a)    Fund infrastructure convergently, in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti;

(b)    Support social development projects based on the felt needs of the NER;

(c)    Enable livelihood activities for youth and women;

(d)    Fill the development gaps in various sectors.

PM-DevINE, was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 to address development gaps in the North Eastern Region (NER).

The scheme is an additionality to the quantum of resources available for the development of the NER.

"It will not be a substitute for existing Central and State Schemes," the release stated.

The release further stated that "the justification for announcement of PM-DevINE is that the parameters of NE States in respect of Basic Minimum Services (BMS) are well below the national average and there are critical development gaps as per the BER District Sustainable Development Goad (SDG) Index 2021-22 prepared by NITI Aayog, UNDP and MDoNER. The new Scheme, PM-DevINE was announced to address these BMS shortfalls and development gaps."