Northeast to be gateway for trade with Southeast Asia: Modi

The Hindu

24-05-2025

India's Northeast is not a 'frontier region' any more, it is the 'frontrunner of growth', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, pitching for investments in the eight States that constitute the region. Inaugurating the Rising Northeast Summit in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said that the region offers a wide range of economic and industrial opportunities. India has 'new dreams' for the Northeast, he said, adding that the region would emerge as a gateway for trade with Southeast Asia over the next decade. The event comes against the backdrop of the May 17 order by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade to close land ports with Bangladesh. Officials have said that the decision will provide the Northeast a level playing field to develop the commercial potential of its own supply chains, and an impetus to manufacture competitively. The Prime Minister paid tribute to the diversity of the region, reflected in its products and people. 'India is termed as the most diverse nation in the world. But our Northeast is the most diverse part of our diverse nation. From trade to tradition, textile to tourism, Northeast's diversity is a very big strength of the region,' Mr. Modi said. He listed the bio-economy, bamboo, tea production, petroleum, sports and eco-tourism as some of the areas where the region is an emerging hub. 'Northeast is the powerhouse of energy,' said Mr. Modi, describing the region as 'Ashta Lakshmis' or the eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi. He said the Northeast would emerge as a gateway to trade with the ASEAN bloc over the coming decade. 'Northeast will be a strong bridge of trade with Southeast Asia. We are working on the necessary infrastructure to realise that goal,' Mr. Modi said.
The Prime Minister announced that India is working on projects to directly connect Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos to India. 'These projects will give the Northeast a new commercial identity among the Indo-Pacific countries,' he added. 'East does not mean just direction for us. It means, Empower, Act, Strengthen and Transform. This is our government's policy for eastern India,' Mr. Modi said. Union Ministers have visited the region more than 700 times in the past decade, the Prime Minister said. 'They saw hope in the eyes of the people of the Northeast and they converted that trust into principles of development. We moved from Look East to Act East mantra and that is the result that we are seeing in the region,' he said. Chief Ministers of Northeast States in attendance include Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, Meghalaya's Conrad Sangma, Tripura's Manik Saha, Lalduhoma of Mizoram, and Sikkim's Prem Singh Tamang. The Northeast's economic future received considerable attention in March when Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Mohammed Yunus described the region as 'landlocked' and offered his country as the 'guardian of the ocean' that could help China access the region's commercial space. India had strongly objected to that characterisation, with Mr. Sarma describing Prof. Yunus's comments as 'offensive and condemnable'. In an editorial, The Hindu noted that India should carefully lay out its response keeping in mind that while it has to communicate its displeasure to the Yunus government, it also has to maintain working relations with this administration till a popularly elected government takes charge in Dhaka.
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