Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal recently declared Northeast India a rising economic powerhouse. Speaking at the North-East India Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition 2026 in Shillong, Sonowal credited the region's rapid development to substantial government investment in connectivity and digital infrastructure over the past decade.
The government has significantly boosted regional support, with Gross Budgetary Support rising from ₹20,000 crore in 2014 to over ₹1.08 lakh crore in the current fiscal year. Sonowal noted that cumulative spending in the area has surpassed ₹7.3 lakh crore since 2014. These funds have overhauled transport networks, including the construction of 10,000 kilometres of national highways and a fivefold increase in rail investment compared to pre-2014 levels.
Digital expansion remains a core pillar of this growth, with 96 per cent of villages now benefiting from mobile network coverage. Sonowal emphasized the long-term impact of these upgrades, stating, “These investments are not merely creating infrastructure; they are creating opportunities by connecting farmers to markets, entrepreneurs to capital, students to education and the region itself to national and global value chains.”
The region is also integrating into high-tech manufacturing, marked by the arrival of a ₹27,000-crore semiconductor facility in Assam. Furthermore, inland waterways on the Brahmaputra and Barak river systems are transforming the Northeast into a logistics hub for international trade. Sonowal highlighted the region's shifting identity, noting that it is no longer defined by isolation but as a vital corridor linking India to global markets.
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