Friday, 23 May 2025
Friday, 23 May 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood before a gathering of policymakers, diplomats, and corporate giants on Friday and declared what his government has long pushed as its Northeast narrative: “The Northeast is witnessing unprecedented progress. We are determined to accelerate its growth story.”
Addressing the inaugural session of the Rising North East Investors Summit, PM Modi called the region a “frontrunner of growth,” and claimed a dramatic transformation from a place once defined by violence to one brimming with economic promise.
“There was a time when Northeast was only called frontier, now it is frontrunner of growth,” he said. “Over 10,000 youths in the Northeast have given up violence in the last decade.”
Top industry leaders, including Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani and Anil Agarwal were present — each promising multi-thousand-crore investments in the region, and each placing their bets on the government's pitch.
The Prime Minister spelt out what “EAST” stands for in his vision: “Empower, Act, Strengthen and Transform.” He said the region, once synonymous with “bombs, guns and rockets,” had lost countless opportunities, but that his government is determined to change that. “Our policy is zero tolerance, be it terrorism or Naxalism.”
Corporate firepower
Reliance Industries Ltd chairman Mukesh Ambani took the stage and announced Rs 75,000 crore in new investments for the region. “Reliance has invested around Rs 30,000 crore in the region in the past 40 years. In the next five years, we will more than double our investments.”
The investments include 350 compressed biogas plants, expanded telecom and retail networks, solar energy projects, a 150-bed cancer hospital in Manipur, and a push to double Jio’s 5G subscriber base in the region.
“Let me begin by saluting PM Narendra Modi for the resounding success of Operation Sindoor. This success is a shining testament to his steely resolve and to the unmatched bravery of our armed forces,” Ambani said.
He claimed Reliance will touch the lives of the region’s 45 million residents, creating over 2.5 million direct and indirect jobs. “When talent meets technology and competence meets connectivity, our North-East will surge ahead,” he said.
His six-point commitment to the eight Northeast states includes investment in local agriculture and artisans, education, AI-powered schools and hospitals, cancer care, and Olympic training centres.
Adani’s billion-dollar pledge
Adani Group Chairperson Gautam Adani matched the momentum, announcing a fresh Rs 1 lakh crore investment over 10 years — half of it a new commitment, the other half promised earlier in Assam.
“Three months ago, in Assam, we pledged an investment of Rs 50,000 crore. Today, once again, humbled and inspired by your leadership, I announce that the Adani Group will invest an additional Rs 50,000 crore across the Northeast over the next 10 years,” he said.
The money will flow into green energy projects, power transmission, road construction, digital infrastructure, skilling centres, and logistics. “But more than infrastructure, we will invest in people. Every initiative will prioritise local jobs, local entrepreneurship, and community engagement. This is what Viksit Bharat 2047 is all about.”
Adani lauded Modi’s vision of “Act East, Act Fast, Act First.” He said, “Behind this rise is the vision of one leader who recognises no borders, only beginnings.”
He outlined the numbers: 65 personal visits by the Prime Minister, Rs 6.2 lakh crore invested in the region since 2014, a doubling of road length to 16,000 km, and the number of airports rising to 18.
“This is not just policy. It is your hallmark of big thinking,” he said. “To our brothers and sisters of the Northeast, we at Adani will stand beside your dreams, your dignity and your destiny.”
The message
The summit is being pitched as a platform to project the Northeast as a “land of opportunity.”
Over two days, sessions between governments and businesses are expected to shape what officials are calling a new industrial and economic roadmap for the region. Core focus areas: tourism and hospitality, agro-food processing, handloom, education, IT, energy, healthcare and logistics.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia called Modi’s policy shift a reversal of historic neglect. “The region which was considered as the last door to development, PM Modi turned it into the first entrance to India. The conceptualisation of Viksit Bharat will begin in the Northeast,” he said.
Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal said: “The heights which North East is reaching today, it was the wisdom of one man, the understanding of one man, and he is our Prime Minister.”
