“Northeast is becoming the logistics, trade and connectivity corridor linking South Asia with Southeast Asia:” Sarbananda Sonowal
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal said the transformation of the Northeast from a region long associated with infrastructure deficits and limited investment into a major economic growth hub represents one of India’s most significant development success stories of the past decade under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing the North-East India Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition 2026 in here today, Sarbananda Sonowal said the region has emerged as a strategic growth engine of the Indian economy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, driven by unprecedented investments in connectivity, digital infrastructure, logistics, energy and industry.
“From frontier region to economic growth hub, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has led the Northeast’s transformation and it is one of India’s biggest success stories. The region has moved from the margins of national policymaking to the centre of India’s development agenda,”Sarbananda Sonowal said.
The Union Minister said the Northeast, once viewed primarily through the lens of geographical remoteness and infrastructure challenges, is now increasingly recognised as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia and a key pillar of the country’s Act East Policy.
According to Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the scale of public investment in the region since 2014 has fundamentally altered its economic trajectory. The allocation for the Northeast under the Gross Budgetary Support framework has increased from around ₹20,000 crore in 2014 to more than ₹1.08 lakh crore in 2025-26, while cumulative expenditure in the region has crossed ₹7.3 lakh crore over the past decade.Ministry of DONER’s Budget increased more than 3 times from Rs. 2,000 Cr. in 2014 to Rs. 6,812 Cr during this Budget.
“These investments are not merely creating infrastructure; they are creating opportunities. They are connecting farmers to markets, entrepreneurs to capital, students to education, and the region itself to national and global value chains,” Sarbanandna Sonowal said.
The Union Minister highlighted the rapid expansion by the Narendra Modi Government of transport infrastructure across the Northeast, noting that nearly 10,000 kilometres of national highways have been built since 2014 at an investment of more than ₹1.07 lakh crore, while over 46,000 kilometres of rural roads have connected previously isolated communities to economic activity.
Railway investment in the region has increased nearly fivefold compared to the pre-2014 period, with projects worth approximately ₹77,000 crore currently under implementation. Landmark projects such as the Bogibeel Bridge, the first passenger rail connectivity to Mizoram and the ongoing Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge project have significantly strengthened regional integration and market access.
