Guwahati, Nov 3 (IANS) Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Monday addressed the Indo-French North-East Investment Forum here, saying that northeast is fast emerging as the new frontier of Indo-French collaboration.

The minister described the Forum as “a bridge between vision and venture” celebrating the enduring partnership between India and France, which he said is “bound not just by treaties, but by trust.”

He said that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India-France relations have evolved into one of the world’s most comprehensive strategic partnerships combining “strategy with soul, and innovation with inclusion.”

From defence and space cooperation to clean energy, digital transformation, and sustainable cities, this partnership reflects a shared commitment to global progress, he mentioned at an event here.

Scindia highlighted major milestones under the Prime Minister’s leadership — the International Solar Alliance (2015) launched by PM Modi and President Francois Hollande; collaborations in smart cities and urban infrastructure; the Rafale partnership aligned with Aatmanirbhar Bharat; and the launch of UPI at Paris’s Eiffel Tower (2024), which brought India’s fintech revolution to Europe.

“Today, we extend that light to India’s Northeast , a region fast emerging as the new frontier of Indo-French collaboration,” he said.

Scindia emphasised that the region once seen as landlocked is now “land-linked and future-ready.”

With over Rs 6.2 lakh crore invested under the Government of India’s 10 per cent GBS allocation, the region has witnessed the construction of 6,500 kms of new roads, 900 kms of railways, and the operationalisation of 17 airports, alongside 96 per cent village connectivity under BharatNet.

Highlighting existing French participation, Scindia cited Total Energies, Airbus, Dassault Systèmes, Decathlon, and POMA as examples of French leadership already shaping the region’s transformation in green power, aviation, design innovation, retail, and sustainable mobility.

—IANS

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