Shillong, Jun 15: Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said the transformation of the North East from a region long associated with infrastructure deficits and limited investment into a major economic growth hub represents one of India’s most significant development success stories of the past decade.
Addressing the North East India Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition 2026 here today, Sonowal said the region has emerged as a strategic growth engine of the Indian economy, driven by unprecedented investments in connectivity, digital infrastructure, logistics, energy and industry.
“The region has moved from the margins of national policymaking to the centre of India’s development agenda,” Sonowal said while trumpeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Once viewed primarily through the lens of geographical remoteness and infrastructure challenges, the North East is now increasingly recognised as India’s gateway to South East Asia and a key pillar of the country’s Act East Policy, the Union Minister from Assam said.
The allocation for the North East under the Gross Budgetary Support framework has increased from around Rs 20,000 crore in 2014 to more than Rs 1.08 lakh crore in 2025-26, while cumulative expenditure in the region has crossed Rs 7.3 lakh crore over the past decade.
“These investments are not merely creating infrastructure; they are creating opportunities. They are connecting farmers to markets, entrepreneurs to capital, students to education, and the region itself to national and global value chains,” Sarbanandna Sonowal said.
Nearly 10,000km of national highways have been built since 2014 at an investment of more than Rs 1.07 lakh crore, while over 46,000km of rural roads have connected previously isolated communities to economic activity.
Highlighting Meghalaya’s development trajectory, Sonowal said the state has emerged as one of the leading examples of how improved connectivity, tourism, digital infrastructure and governance reforms can accelerate economic growth in the North East. Sonowal noted that Meghalaya has leveraged its natural advantages, entrepreneurial ecosystem and strategic location to attract investments across sectors such as tourism, information technology, logistics, agriculture and renewable energy. The state’s growing reputation as a destination for business, innovation and sustainable development reflects the broader transformation underway across the region.
The Union Minister also pointed to Meghalaya’s progress in ease of doing business (EODB) and governance reforms, noting that the state secured the third rank nationally in Compliance Reduction and Deregulation 1.0 after successfully completing all 23 priority reform areas. Sonowal said that Flagship events such as the Cherry Blossom Festival and investments in digital and transport infrastructure have strengthened Meghalaya’s position as a key contributor to the North East’s growth story.
“Meghalaya today exemplifies how visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji, policy reforms and targeted investments can unlock economic opportunities while preserving the region’s unique cultural and environmental heritage,” he added.
