NEW DELHI, July 2: Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Wednesday lauded the rapid transformation of India’s northeast, calling it the “engine” driving the nation toward its Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.

In an exclusive interiew, Scindia said the region, long neglected for over six decades, has witnessed unprecedented development over the last 11 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

“India’s 36 states and Union Territories are like a train, and under PM Modi’s dynamic vision, the northeast has definitely become the engine of that train toward a developed India,” Scindia said.

Scindia credited the region’s transformation to sustained infrastructural and policy focus. “Where there were only nine airports in the northeast in 2014, there are now 17. Arunachal Pradesh now has four airports and Sikkim has one — a milestone, considering both states had none for 65 years,” he said.

Highlighting road and rail connectivity, the minister said that national highway length in the region has increased from 10,000 km in 2014 to 16,000 km today, while rural areas have seen 40,000 km of roads constructed. Currently, 2,000 km of railway lines are under construction, with rail services already extended to five northeastern states and the remaining three set to be connected by 2027 under an ₹80,000 crore outlay.

Scindia emphasized the region’s emerging economic potential, citing the success of the recently concluded ‘Rising North East Investors Summit 2025’, which secured investment commitments worth ₹5 lakh crore.

“The northeast has become a hub of global partnerships and mutual interest,” he noted, adding that the region’s diversity, resources, and strategic location are key to India’s march toward a $30-trillion economy by 2047.

He also pointed out that PM Modi has visited the region approximately 70 times — more than the combined visits of all previous Prime Ministers in the last 65 years — underscoring the government’s prioritization of the northeast.

From aviation and railways to healthcare and social security, the minister reiterated that the government’s efforts are focused on integrating the northeast into the mainstream of national development.

Scindia concluded by affirming that the northeast will remain central to India’s growth story, calling it “a wonderful weave of diversity and opportunity” that will drive Viksit Bharat forward.