Modi govt invests Rs 6.5 lakh crore in Northeast over last decade, driving growth and connectivity: Scindia

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday highlighted the Narendra Modi government’s decade-long developmental push in the Northeast, revealing that the Centre has invested Rs 6.5 lakh crore in the region over the past 10 years. Addressing a programme in Agartala, Scindia inaugurated projects worth Rs 365 crore under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER ) and reviewed ongoing initiatives.

“The Modi government has brought a revolution to the Northeast by allocating 10% of every ministry’s budget to the region over the last decade,” Scindia said, praising Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha for his “speed, dedication, and coordination with the Centre.” He added that the Prime Minister’s vision is to make the Northeast a centre point of India’s growth and transform Tripura into a gateway to Southeast Asia.

Scindia noted that Tripura’s growth trajectory has been remarkable. While the state previously recorded 3–4% annual growth , it now achieves 10.5–11%, surpassing the national average. Infrastructure improvements have played a critical role: the national highway network has expanded from 850 km to 1,550 km, railway lines up to Sabroom in South Tripura have been converted to broad gauge, and flight services have nearly doubled.

During his visit, Scindia inspected two ongoing DoNER-funded projects the Maternity & Child Care Centre at GBP Hospital and the new building of Agartala Government Dental College to assess progress. He also announced plans to lay the foundation stone for the Matabari tourist circuit in Gomati district, a Rs 280 crore project, on Sunday.

The Northeast has historically lagged behind national growth rates due to poor connectivity, limited industrial development, geographic isolation, and reliance on agriculture. Over the past decade, strategic investments in highways, railways, airports, tourism, health, education, and trade facilitation have helped the region catch up, with Tripura emerging as a success story. Looking ahead, sustained growth in the Northeast will require further improvements in transport, logistics, industrialization, tourism, and human capital development. Upgrading ports, expanding rail connectivity, fostering light manufacturing and agro-processing, promoting start-ups, and improving healthcare and education infrastructure are critical to ensuring long-term economic resilience. Environmental sustainability, including renewable energy and forest conservation, will also play a key role.

Experts note that infrastructure-led investments directly boost GDP by creating jobs and increasing local incomes in the short term. Over the medium term, improved connectivity and trade stimulate permanent economic activity, while enhanced human capital and industrialization contribute to sustained, long-term growth. Tripura’s jump from 3–4% to 10–11% growth exemplifies this trend, and if replicated across the Northeast, the region could add 1–2% extra to India’s GDP in the next five to ten years.

The Centre’s decade-long focus on the Northeast is reversing historical underdevelopment. Strategic investments, combined with better governance and targeted projects, are positioning the region as an emerging economic hub, integrating it more closely with national growth and cross-border trade with Southeast Asia.