Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the northeast, once known merely as a frontier region, has now become a front-runner in India’s growth story.
At the Rising Northeast Investors Summit, PM Modi said, “Developing East India is very important, and the northeast is the most important part of East India. For us, East doesn’t just mean a direction; it means empower, act, strengthen, and transform. This is our government’s policy for East India. This policy and priority have brought our Northeast to the centre stage of growth.”
He said that the government’s approach to the northeast was heartfelt, not just planned, adding that Union ministers have visited over 700 times, staying overnight to truly connect with the region.
“The changes in the northeast over the past 11 years are not just numbers; they are changes felt on the ground. Humne Northeast se sirf yojnaon se nahi, dil se rishta banaya hai (We haven’t connected with the Northeast only through plans, but from the heart). More than 700 times, our central government ministers have visited the Northeast, and the rule was to stay overnight, not just visit and leave,” said PM Modi.
‘Not just bricks and cement’: Modi on infrastructure as an emotional bond
“They felt the soil, saw hope in people’s eyes, and turned that trust into development policies. We didn’t see infrastructure just as bricks and cement but as a means to build an emotional connection,” Modi added.
Prime Minister Modi said that improved infrastructure in the northeast is transforming the region into a front-runner in growth.
He emphasised that better roads and facilities are making tourism more attractive, which in turn is boosting investor confidence and driving economic development.
“There was a time when the northeast was called only a frontier region; today, it is becoming a front-runner in growth. Good infrastructure makes tourism attractive. Where there is infrastructure, investors also gain confidence. That’s why we started an infrastructure revolution in the Northeast. We have built 11,000 km of new highways in the Northeast,” said Modi.