New Delhi, February 24 Several MPs raised concerns about the under-utilization of funds allocated for the North Eastern states during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, a source said.
The committee met on Tuesday to discuss the Demands for Grants 2026-27 for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
The source said MPs from various parties claimed that funds intended for the region were not being fully spent.
According to the source, Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena-UBT), Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), Derek O'Brien (TMC), and Naveen Jindal (BJP) were among the MPs who expressed their concerns.
A letter was also submitted to the committee chairperson by the Trinamool Congress.
The MPs, according to the source, claimed that in 2024-25, 41 per cent of the DoNER budget remained unutilized, and in 2025-26, the figure was 36 per cent.
The letter also highlighted the significant gap between the targets and the actual beneficiaries of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, and stated that almost 75 per cent of the intended beneficiaries remain uncovered.
It also stated that 25 per cent of the total sanctioned positions in the DoNER ministry are vacant, and listed pending central disaster relief funds owed to West Bengal, which amounted to approximately Rs 53,696 crore.
The source said that committee chairperson Radha Mohan Das Agrawal directed officials who had appeared before the committee to respond to the questions raised by the MPs within three days, and also said that he would send the letter given by the TMC to the Home Ministry for a response.
The MPs also demanded a separate note to be presented on the utilization of funds for Manipur.
According to the Budget, a sum of Rs 6,812.3 crore has been allocated for the DoNER ministry in 2026-27, against the revised estimate of Rs 4,479.2 crore in the last fiscal.
Specifically, an amount of Rs 2,500 crore has been earmarked for the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme, Rs 2,300 crore for the Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE), and Rs 825 crore for the schemes of the North East Council.