Itanagar, June 16: The North Eastern Council (NEC), under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, has announced significant progress in regional development, highlighted by the release of the NEC Yearbook 2025 and substantial financial disbursements for various projects in Arunachal Pradesh.
The NEC Yearbook 2025, the second edition of its kind, has been officially published, serving as a comprehensive compilation of key socio-economic indicators and transformative initiatives across the North Eastern Region (NER). This yearbook is an invaluable resource for policy planners, academicians, research scholars, and analysts, offering insights into the progress made in different sectors and guiding future endeavors. The NEC Yearbook 2025 is accessible at https://necouncil.gov.in/news-updates/nec-yearbook-2025.
In May 2025, the NEC released a total of ₹11,37,60,526/- (Eleven Crore Thirty-Seven Lakhs Sixty Thousand Five Hundred and Twenty-Six only) to support a diverse range of development projects in Arunachal Pradesh. These funds are allocated across various crucial sectors, including tourism, industry, agriculture, transport and communication, science and technology, human resource development, irrigation, flood control and water management, and the promotion of culture and heritage. The timely disbursement of these funds’ underscores NEC’s commitment to the prompt implementation and completion of vital development projects in the region.
A significant portion of the released funds includes the first instalment for a groundbreaking project: “Technological Intervention using Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things for Smart Agriculture in North East India.” This pioneering initiative, spearheaded by the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & Technology (NERIST) in Arunachal Pradesh, marks a crucial step towards agricultural modernization.
The three-year project, scheduled for completion by April 2028, introduces a cutting-edge digital monitoring system. This innovative system will allow farmers to oversee their fields 24×7 through a user-friendly mobile application. By integrating real-time data and advanced sensors, the system continuously monitors critical farm indicators such as soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and crop health. These insights, accessible directly via smartphones, will empower farmers to respond immediately to potential threats, thereby optimizing decision-making, enhancing resource efficiency, and significantly boosting agricultural productivity.
The deployment of this technology represents a transformative shift, reducing manual labor and fostering greater self-reliance, particularly for remote and rural farmers. This project is a key milestone in making technology-driven agriculture sustainable and inclusive across the North East India.
