North East key to Viksit Bharat vision: Sitharaman
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Newmai News Network
SHILLONG, JUNE 19: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said the Northeast has moved from the margins to the centre of India’s growth narrative and will play a pivotal role in realising the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
She was inaugurating a two-day conference on “Leveraging Externally Aided Projects in North-Eastern States” in Shillong, organised by the Department of Economic Affairs under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Sitharaman noted that externally aided projects have become a vital source of financing for the region, supporting roads, power, water supply, tourism and social infrastructure.
She said the real challenge now is not merely securing funds but building institutions and implementation capacity capable of translating investments into long-term outcomes.
For this, she called for stronger Centre-state coordination, faster project execution and systematic sharing of best practices among states.
The Finance Minister stressed that the next phase of development will be shaped as much by people and partnerships as by financial resources.
She identified the region’s youth, entrepreneurial energy and women leaders as key drivers of growth and urged greater investment in skills development and women-led enterprises.
She also called on states to view multilateral and bilateral financing as a source of global expertise and innovation, in addition to capital.
Tourism, logistics, agribusiness, food processing, renewable energy, digital services and manufacturing were highlighted as sectors with strong private investment potential capable of generating employment and creating local value. Sitharaman linked these opportunities to ongoing improvements in transport, digital and power connectivity, stating that stronger networks are connecting communities to markets and reinforcing India’s Act East Policy.
She described the Northeast’s ecological and cultural heritage as a strategic asset that positions the region to lead in eco-tourism, climate-resilient agriculture and green development.
However, she cautioned that development must remain inclusive, ensuring that no district or community is left behind and that institutions continue delivering benefits long after projects are completed.
The first day of the conference featured technical sessions by the Department of Economic Affairs, the World Bank, ADB and NITI Aayog. States also presented experiences from projects such as Tripura’s urban and tourism initiatives, Assam’s secondary roads programme, Manipur’s integrated water supply project and Mizoram’s FOCUS 2.0 initiative.
Discussions focused on project execution, community participation and climate resilience. On the second day, participants will examine solutions to common implementation challenges using examples from Meghalaya’s community and landscape management initiatives, Assam’s healthcare augmentation project and Nagaland’s forest management programme.
“The future of the Northeast is not a story waiting to be written; it is a story that is already unfolding,” Sitharaman said, urging sustained collaboration to transform the region’s potential into prosperity and its connectivity into opportunity.
SHILLONG, JUNE 19: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said the Northeast has moved from the margins to the centre of India’s growth narrative and will play a pivotal role in realising the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
She was inaugurating a two-day conference on “Leveraging Externally Aided Projects in North-Eastern States” in Shillong, organised by the Department of Economic Affairs under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Sitharaman noted that externally aided projects have become a vital source of financing for the region, supporting roads, power, water supply, tourism and social infrastructure.
She said the real challenge now is not merely securing funds but building institutions and implementation capacity capable of translating investments into long-term outcomes.
For this, she called for stronger Centre-state coordination, faster project execution and systematic sharing of best practices among states.
The Finance Minister stressed that the next phase of development will be shaped as much by people and partnerships as by financial resources.
She identified the region’s youth, entrepreneurial energy and women leaders as key drivers of growth and urged greater investment in skills development and women-led enterprises.
She also called on states to view multilateral and bilateral financing as a source of global expertise and innovation, in addition to capital.
Tourism, logistics, agribusiness, food processing, renewable energy, digital services and manufacturing were highlighted as sectors with strong private investment potential capable of generating employment and creating local value. Sitharaman linked these opportunities to ongoing improvements in transport, digital and power connectivity, stating that stronger networks are connecting communities to markets and reinforcing India’s Act East Policy.
She described the Northeast’s ecological and cultural heritage as a strategic asset that positions the region to lead in eco-tourism, climate-resilient agriculture and green development.
However, she cautioned that development must remain inclusive, ensuring that no district or community is left behind and that institutions continue delivering benefits long after projects are completed.
The first day of the conference featured technical sessions by the Department of Economic Affairs, the World Bank, ADB and NITI Aayog. States also presented experiences from projects such as Tripura’s urban and tourism initiatives, Assam’s secondary roads programme, Manipur’s integrated water supply project and Mizoram’s FOCUS 2.0 initiative.
Discussions focused on project execution, community participation and climate resilience. On the second day, participants will examine solutions to common implementation challenges using examples from Meghalaya’s community and landscape management initiatives, Assam’s healthcare augmentation project and Nagaland’s forest management programme.
“The future of the Northeast is not a story waiting to be written; it is a story that is already unfolding,” Sitharaman said, urging sustained collaboration to transform the region’s potential into prosperity and its connectivity into opportunity.