The Central Government has allocated 3,880 crore rupees to Nagaland under the “Pride of Hills: Special Development Assistance for the Hill States” scheme for the financial year 2026-27. The scheme aims to address key challenges faced by hill states, such as difficult terrain, limited connectivity, sparse population, and constrained revenue sources, which often impact their fiscal strength.

 

The initiative, part of the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), earmarks a total outlay of 25,000 crore rupees for nine hill states. Under the total outlay, Arunachal Pradesh received the highest allocation of 4,900 crore, followed by Himachal Pradesh with 3,920 crore. Nagaland was allocated 3880 crore, while Uttarakhand received 3,460 crore and Tripura 3,450 crore. Manipur was allotted 2,400 crore and Meghalaya 2,070 crore. Further, Sikkim has been allocated 820 crore and  Mizoram 100 crore rupees.  

 

The additional funding is expected to boost capital expenditure, support infrastructure development, and accelerate overall economic growth in these regions.

 

Nagaland Chief Minister has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for  ‘Pride of Hills: Special Development Assistance for the Hill States under SASCI’ 2026-27. In a social media post, Chief Minister Rio said the special assistance will help accelerate development and address the unique regional challenges across the hill states.