Rising North East Investors Summit 2025: Catalyzing Growth, Celebrating Ashtalakshmi

The Rising North East Investors Summit 2025, held on May 23 and 24, stands as a beacon of opportunity and transformation. Organized by the Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), this two-day event brought together ministers, industry leaders, investors, and stakeholders from across the globe to explore the untapped potential of India's Northeast. The summit included ministerial sessions, business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-business (B2B) meetings, and a dedicated exhibition space showcasing the region's economic, cultural, and developmental milestones.

- BY KISHAN BHAWNANI

At the heart of the summit was a focused agenda to promote investment in key sectors such as tourism and hospitality, agro-food processing, textiles, handlooms and handicrafts, healthcare, education and skill development, IT and IT-enabled services, logistics, energy, infrastructure, and even emerging fields like entertainment and sports. Notably, India is set to unveil its first 'Made in India' semiconductor chip, manufactured in a new facility located in the Northeast-a historic achievement that marks the region's emergence as a technological hub.

Prime Minister's Vision: Northeast as the Engine of Growth

In his inaugural address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the Northeast as the "land of opportunities" and one of the most vibrant and diverse parts of India. He emphasized that the Northeast is no longer seen as a remote or marginal region but as a vital component in India's developmental story. "The diversity of the region is its greatest strength," he stated, highlighting its enormous potential across trade, tradition, textiles, and tourism.

The Prime Minister underscored five key themes in his speech:

1. Development of Eastern India is Essential for a Developed India: PM Modi outlined the vision of "iEAST"—Empower, Act, Strengthen, and Transform—as a strategic framework to accelerate the growth of Eastern India, with the Northeast playing a pivotal role.

2. Unprecedented Engagement: He revealed that over the past few years, Union Ministers have visited the Northeast more than 700 times, forging emotional connections and designing development policies rooted in local aspirations.

3. Beyond Infrastructure-Towards Emotional Integration: Moving past the "Look East” policy, the government has adopted the proactive "Act East" approach, treating infrastructure as a vehicle of emotional and national unity rather than just physical development.