The Chief Minister made the remarks during an interaction between NITI Aayog and Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of northeastern states held in New Delhi on Friday.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of the Northeast as the "Growth Engine of India" and "Ashtalakshmi", Khemchand said Manipur has faced significant economic, social and developmental setbacks in recent years.

He stressed that NITI Aayog has an important role in supporting the state through strategic planning, coordination with various ministries and engagement with international partners.

During the interaction, CM Khemchand Singh highlighted that connectivity is one of the most important sectors where Manipur needs sustained and major investments.

He called for the early completion of major projects including the railway connection to Imphal, National Highway Projects connecting Imphal to the rest of the country, and the airport terminal expansion.

He urged the NITI Aayog to support projects like the Imphal Ring Road Project, Elevated Highway in Imphal, Imphal - Moreh Railway Project.

Referring to the Act East Policy, the chief Minister said Manipur has the potential to serve as India's main land-based gateway to Southeast Asia.

However, he pointed out that delays in implementation due to cross-border political instability and other related challenges have created gaps in achieving the mission.

To address this, he requested the NITI Aayog to set up a high-level "Act Fast Implementation Unit" tasked with shielding critical cross-border logistics infrastructure from localized disruptions.

He also proposed the NITI Aayog to establish an 'Act East Regional Coordination Cell' in collaboration with the North Eastern Council, bringing together Northeastern States to regularly synchronize border, logistics, and security policies.

CM Khemchand Singh further stated that medical colleges in the state like RIMS and JNIMS require substantial modernization and there is huge potential for providing treatment to patients from South East Asia, especially Myanmar.

He stated that NITI Aayog could help by coordinating with the Ministry of Health to develop a Super-Specialty Tertiary Care Expansion Framework in Manipur, so that Manipur could become a 'Medical Tourism Hub' catering to patients from Southeast Asia.

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The Chief Minister further sought special financial measures to overcome challenges posed by security concerns and difficult terrain.

He sought NITI Aayog's support in designing a special fiscal incentive framework that provides Vulnerability Gap Funding (VGF) for infrastructure projects facing security issues.

CM Khemchand Singh further observed that the same financial allocations under various central schemes yield significantly less physical infrastructure in the northeastern region and Manipur, compared to many parts of the country, due to the region's difficult and hilly terrain.

He suggested that NITI Aayog could assist by helping to formulate a Terrain-Weighted Cost Index Matrix, granting Northeastern states a 20-30% fiscal premium for central fund distributions to offset geographic barriers.

He stated that Manipur relies heavily on central grants, with its own tax revenue making up only about 10% of revenue receipts, thereby severely constraining its independent developmental funding.

The Chief Minister added that NITI Aayog could help by preparing a roadmap to enhance the State's Fiscal Capacity, with specific interventions such as Fiscal Stabilisation Grant, flexibility in central scheme funding, and leveraging funding and technical assistance from multilateral development banks.