The north-eastern region has some major takeaways from the budget. The most important of them is the focus on road and rail connectivity to bridge the infrastructure gap of the region.

Nearly 8 pert cent ( Rs. 3,000 crore) of the total allocation for highway development is directed at the region. An additional Rs. 1,000 crore is earmarked for rail connectivity.

Infrastructure in the north-eastern States should also get a boost through the Rs. 990-crore fund for socio-economic development of border villages.

Border States

The eight States of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, along with Sikkim share international borders with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. Sikkim will also be benefited by allocation of Rs. 100 crore for the promotion of organic farming and food. The State has already taken some concrete initiatives in this direction. The hilly State will be a part of the sport promotion activities in the Himalayan region.

Manipur, known for its love for football, will get a Rs. 100-crore sports university.

This apart, a 24x7 channel, called Anuprabha, has also been proposed for the region.

The total allocation to the region is estimated at Rs. 53,706 crore for 2014-15.

Jitendra Chaudhury, a CPI(M) MP from Tripura welcomed the proposals for the north-east. However, he pointed out that considering its backwardness, the region deserves more attention in infrastructure creation.