New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) India’s 36 states and Union Territories are like a train and the northeastern region, under the dynamic vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has definitely become the engine of that train on way to the Viksit Bharat at 2047, Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jyotiraditya Scindia, said on Wednesday.

In an exclusive interaction with IANS in the national capital, Scindia said in the last 65 years, the northeast was blocked from witnessing development and progress and in the last 11 years alone, the region has truly been transformed – whether it is roads, railways, air services, healthcare, social security and so on.

“PM Modi has visited the northeastern region about 70 times, which is a record in itself. If you collect all the visits of all the Prime Ministers in the last 65 years, then even they have not been able to visit northeast so many times,” said the Union Minister, adding that in the last 11 years, the northeastern part of our country has been the labyrinth of diversity, resources and a wonderful weave of tapestry.

The recently concluded ‘Rising North East Investors Summit 2025’ attracted investments worth around Rs 5 lakh crore, making the region a true engine of India’s overall progress.

“Where there used to be nine airports in 2014, 17 airports have been built in the northeast. States like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim did not even have a single airport for 65 years. Today, Arunachal Pradesh has four airports and Sikkim has one airport,” the minister told IANS.

“There were 10,000 km of national highways in 2014. Today, there are 16,000 km of national highways. That means whatever was built in 65 years, almost the same amount has been built in 10 years,” Scindia informed, adding that in rural areas, 40,000 kms of roads have been developed and nearly 2,000 kms of railway lines are currently being built.

“We are committed to providing rail services to all eight states with an outlay of Rs 80,000 crore. Today, rail services are available in five states. We will provide rail services to the remaining three states by 2027,” said the minister.

The northeastern region holds the key to India’s $30-trillion vision towards Viksit Bharat@2047, according to the minister.

At the ‘Rising North East Investors Summit 2025’, Scindia said that the northeastern region has emerged as a hub of global partnership and mutual interest.

–IANS

na/vd