Arunachal Pradesh CM Nabam Tuki seeks special fund from NITI Aayog for development

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has urged the Niti Ayog to provide a special window of funding for overall growth and development of the state.

Tuki called on NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Arvind Panagariya in New Delhi on Wednesday and submitted a proposal "Priority Areas for Development in Arunachal Pradesh" for consideration by NITI Aayog, an official communiqué said here today.

The chief minister mentioned that the rationale of this proposal was to ensure completion of several projects which were started under the Special Plan Assistance (SPA) window of the Planning Commission.

While explaining the ramifications of the institutional changes in the wake of transition from Planning Commission to NITI Aayog, Tuki explained that SPA funding by the erstwhile Planning Commission had been a growth driver for creating infrastructure in the state.

During the last five years as many as 1498 critical assets were created in the state with liberal funding through SPA. However, delinking of this important window of funding has landed the state in a tight corner not only in completing ongoing projects but also to take up other critical development projects, he said.