Northeast Holds Key to a $30-Trillion Economy

Its geographic proximity to cities in Southeast Asia makes the region a vital corridor for India's economic diplomacy and trade integration

- Jyotiraditya Scindia

In the bustling markets of Dubai, people reach for a strange treat—the golden Queen pineapple from Tripura. Its sweetness recalls monsoon-kissed hills and tribal wisdom passed down through the years. Eleven years ago, who would have thought that this fruit from a remote part of India would be served at Middle Eastern tables? But here we are, with close to 10,000 tons of Tripura's pride traveling across continents.

The story isn't only about pineapples. This is about a region rising and awakening! Because of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi's leadership, the Northeastern Region (NER), once relegated to the corners of India's development paradigm, is shedding its peripheral skin to emerge as the nation's eastern gateway. From the trade routes of ancient Kamrup, which produced Suvarnakudyaka, golden silk mentioned in the Arthashastra, to semiconductor fabs promising silicon dreams, the region is rewriting its own destiny.

In India's pursuit of becoming a $30-trillion economy and Viksit Bharat by 2047, few regions will be as consequential as this awakening giant. Eleven years ago, when PM Modi was sworn in, India accelerated and the Northeast resurged. PM Modi provided a new lens and declared the Northeast as the Ashtalakshmi of India. In the very first few months of taking office, he was on the ground in the Northeast. At the time, few outside the region noticed. Fewer still understood the significance. However, that visit, and the promises made on that soil, marked the beginning of a decade-long mission: to transform the Northeast from a neglected corner into a national frontier of growth, security, and international opportunity.