The government has spent Rs 3.37 lakh crore for development works in northeastern states in the past nine years, Union Minister Anurag Thakur informed Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Replying to a question on sports infrastructure facilities in the Northeast, the minister highlighted the work done by the Modi government in the last nine years for the overall development of the region.
In the last nine years, the road network in the Northeast has been expanded to around 16,000 km from 8,480 km to improve connectivity, the youth affairs and sports minister said in a written reply.
He added that the number of airports have been doubled in the last nine years and rail connectivity is being improved.
"Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has visited the Northeast 60 times in the last nine years," Thakur said, adding that this shows the commitment and seriousness of the government for the development of the region.
Currently, Thakur, said 1,350 projects worth Rs 15,760 crore, across all departments of the central government, are being implemented in the Northeast.
"Around Rs 3,37,000 crore has been spent so far for the Northeastern region in the last nine years," the minister said.
He said the creation of infrastructure facilities would help in organising sports events in the Northeast but sports federations need to take the initiative.
"In earlier governments, there was a 'Look-East' policy. But we have worked with 'Act-East' policy under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi," Thakur said.
Thakur said the Northeastern states have produced many internationally recognised sports persons.
"Sports being a State subject, the responsibility of development of sports, including the development of sports infrastructure facilities, rests primarily with state/Union Territory governments. The central government only supplements their efforts by bridging critical gaps," he noted.
However, Thakur said his ministry has established the first National Sports University in the Northeast in Imphal, Manipur, at a total sanctioned cost of Rs 643.34 crore and it is functioning since 2018.
The ministry has also approved 75 sports infrastructure projects at a combined sanctioned cost of Rs 520.60 crore under the Khelo India Scheme and the National Sports Development Fund in the Northeast.
In addition, the ministry has notified eight Khelo India State Centres of Excellence, 227 Khelo India Centres, and 22 Khelo India accredited sports academies in Northeastern states.
Further, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is running three National Centres of Excellence, 12 SAI Training Centres (STC), six Extension Centres of STC under its two Regional Centres in the Northeast.