NE states got Rs 453 crore from Centre for security costs in 2025-26

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs reimbursed a total of Rs 453.26 crore to the North Eastern states in 2025-26 under its Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, according to official data cited by Eastern Mirror on Sunday.

Assam received the largest share at Rs 199.47 crore, followed by Manipur at Rs 116.69 crore. Nagaland was third with Rs 50.98 crore. Tripura got Rs 45.80 crore, Arunachal Pradesh Rs 21.54 crore and Meghalaya Rs 18.78 crore.

What the scheme is

The SRE scheme has been in place since 1995 for states seriously affected by insurgency. In the North East it now covers every state except Mizoram and Sikkim. The Centre and the state share admissible security spending in a 90:10 ratio, so the state government pays for these items first and is then reimbursed most of the cost.

What can be reimbursed

The items that qualify include special counter-insurgency training for state police and prison staff, raising India Reserve Battalions, civil works and repairs to support Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), and logistics for CAPF and Army units deployed in a state.

The scheme also covers ex-gratia and relief payments to victims of extremist violence, transport of arrested militants, and honorariums paid to Village Guards, Village Defence Committees, the Village Defence Force, Special Police Officers and Home Guards on security duty. Spending on detainees under the National Security Act and on the surrender and rehabilitation of insurgents is also eligible.

Costs of maintaining designated camps for groups under Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreements, and of training SoO cadres, can be claimed as well. In addition, the Centre reimburses 75% of what state police spend on petrol, oil and lubricants. Ex-gratia payments when CAPF personnel are killed or permanently disabled are paid entirely by the Centre.

Why it matters for the region

Security-related spending remains a significant budget item for several North Eastern states, from village guard honorariums in Nagaland to the large deployment of central forces in Manipur since the ethnic violence that began in 2023. The SRE reimbursements return a large part of that cost to state treasuries.

The SRE reimbursements are separate from other central grants to the states, such as funds for police modernisation.