MORE ENERGY FROM THE NORTHEAST

FOR decades, India’s Northeast was viewed mostly through the lens of distance, insurgency and unrealised potential. Today, that narrative is being rewritten.

- ANIL K ANTONY

Over the last 12 years, the region has undergone a remarkable transformation driven by infrastructure development, connectivity expansion, security stabilisation and economic integration.

This transformation is rooted in a strategic shift. The erstwhile ‘Look East’ policy evolved into the more ambitious ‘Act East’ policy, placing the Northeast at the centre of India’s economic and strategic outreach. More than ₹5 lakh crore was invested in the region over a decade on roads, railways, airports, waterways, power infrastructure and digital connectivity. Major initiatives such as the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project connecting India and Myanmar and the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, which will eventually provide connectivity deep into Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific, are reshaping the region’s economic geography.

Business activity has followed infrastructure development. The ₹27,000-crore semiconductor assembly and test facility being established by Tata Electronics in Assam represents one of the most significant manufacturing investments in the Northeast’s history. Combined with growing investments in logistics, tourism, renewable energy and services, the region is increasingly being integrated into India’s broader growth story. Today, several Northeastern states are among the country’s fastest growing regional economies.