Northeast has become a front runner of India’s growth story: PM Modi in Mizoram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Bairabi–Sairang railway line and projects worth over Rs 9,000 crore in Mizoram, declaring the Northeast a “front runner” of India’s growth. He highlighted connectivity, trade, sports, and entrepreneurship under the government’s Act East Policy.

Aizawl: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the Northeast region is a growth engine of India and it progressed a lot during the past 11 years and has become a front runner.

Inaugurating the ambitious 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway project, flagging off three new trains connecting Aizawl with Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati and laying the foundation stone and inaugurating multiple development projects worth over Rs 9,000 crore, the Prime Minister said that the Northeast was earlier called frontier state, now the region has become a front runner.

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He said that through the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, Mizoram and other Northeastern states of India would be connected with the Bay of Bengal. “The region would further come closer to Southeast Asian countries.”

The Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project is a joint India-Myanmar initiative to create a multi-modal transport corridor connecting India’s eastern ports to India’s Northeast through Myanmar, utilising waterways and roads to bypass the Siliguri Corridor.

The Prime Minister said: “After the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project becomes operational trade and tourism would be boosted a lot in the Northeast region. All these plans are part of India’s Act East Policy.”

He said that earlier political parties were doing vote bank politics in the Northeast and due to this attitude the entire region suffered greatly. “Our attitude, plans and vision are different. We want peace and development of the region. Rail, road, air, waterway connectivities were developed a lot in the region and these would be further developed in the coming days,” the Prime Minister said.

He said that those states that were neglected earlier had now come to the forefront of development due to the present government’s approach and plan. Referring to the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), he said that the Northeastern region is getting benefits under this scheme and helicopter services would soon start from Aizawl to connect remote areas of Mizoram.

Saying that India is becoming a global hub of sports, he said that the government had already announced National Sports Policy–Khelo India policy to further develop the sports sector. Mizoram, which has also produced many important and talented sportspersons, would also benefit from this policy and it would be a new opportunity for the youth, PM Modi added.

The Prime Minister in his speech mentioned that the Northeast is becoming a major hub of entrepreneurs with over 4,000 start ups and many incubators already functioning in the region and Mizoram youths also joining these missions.

He said that in the recent ‘Ashtalakshmi festival’ in New Delhi, the eight Northeastern states showcased textiles, crafts, agri and horticultural products and highlighted the tourism potential of the region.