PM Modi changed outlook of Northeast, says MoS Tokhan Sahu in Manipur review meet

Imphal, January 17 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the outlook of the Northeastern states through focused development initiatives.

The Minister chaired a review meeting of ongoing schemes under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and also held departmental review meetings of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) and National Buildings Construction Corporation (India) Limited (NBCC).

Sahu said that for the overall progress of Manipur, the state government needs to work in close coordination with the Central government.

Stating that the overall presentations were satisfactory, the Minister urged officials to apprise the Ministry of issues and challenges hindering the timely implementation of schemes.

He said that all projects should be properly implemented and completed within the stipulated time frame, even if certain exceptions are required in special circumstances.

The Minister asked officials to submit written reports highlighting schemes that need special attention during implementation.

Regarding delays in the completion of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) [PMAY(U)] 1.0, Sahu said that proposals could be submitted to the Ministry for effective implementation, especially as PMAY(U) 2.0 has already been rolled out.

Presentations on various Centrally-sponsored flagship programmes of the state government were made during the meeting.

The review meeting, held at the Conference Hall of the Old Secretariat at Babupara in Imphal, covered the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM-U) 2.0, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), and the Prime Minister’s Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM-SVANidhi).

With regard to the Imphal Smart City Mission, officials presented the status of 21 completed projects and four ongoing projects.

Highlighting the issues and challenges, officials pointed out that the prevailing security situation over the past three years, coupled with unprecedented flooding for two consecutive years, has adversely affected the timely completion of projects.

The implementing departments sought an extension of project timelines up to September 2026.

The Town Planning Department, while presenting an overview of AMRUT 2.0, a mission aimed at making cities ‘water secure’, reported that 27 towns across six districts -- Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, Bishnupur and Jiribam -- are eligible under the mission.

The department said that the focus is on towns not covered under previous schemes, with a funding pattern of 90:10 between the Centre and the state.