A day-long Regional Workshop on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for North-Eastern States was held at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati, organised by the Finance Department, Government of Assam, in association with the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, Government of India, and NITI Aayog.
The workshop brought together senior officials and representatives from the North-Eastern States, Government of Assam, DEA, NITI Aayog, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other development partners, providing a platform for cross-learning and strengthening institutional capacity for PPP implementation.
Jayant Narlikar, Commissioner and Secretary, Finance, Government of Assam, welcomed all the participating states and observed that PPP should be viewed not merely as a financing mechanism but as a comprehensive approach to improve public service delivery through private capital, technology and expertise with appropriate risk allocation critical to project success.
Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, who was the chief guest, remarked that the Northeast region has strong potential for PPP investment given its infrastructure needs.
He emphasised the need to undertake PPP projects in healthcare, tourism, energy and urban infrastructure.
Laya Madduri, Joint Secretary, DEA, Ministry of Finance, thanked the Government of Assam in organising the first workshop of this kind for the Northeastern states.
She mentioned successful national PPP models in highways, ports and civil aviation, including the Hybrid Annuity Model, as useful references for the region and assured full support of the Government of India to states in the North Eastern Region in handholding of PPP projects.
The workshop covered the basic tenets of PPP projects and financing mechanisms such as Viability Gap Funding (VGF) and India Infrastructure Project Development Fund (IIPDF).
It also facilitated interaction with officials from Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board who shared their experience in developing a holistic PPP ecosystem.
Sector-specific sessions offered practical insights on healthcare, solid waste management, tourism and roads, while further discussions addressed strategies for attracting private investment and a moderated review of selected project concepts.
The workshop, which concluded with the States outlining their next steps, is expected to contribute to the identification of viable PPP projects, State-specific pipelines, and a sustainable PPP ecosystem in the North-Eastern region.
