New Delhi— Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday projected India’s trade with ASEAN nations to surpass $200 billion in the near future, with the northeastern states playing a pivotal role as a strategic trade gateway to Southeast Asia.
Speaking at the Rising North East Investors Summit in New Delhi, PM Modi highlighted the region’s growing importance in India’s economic and geopolitical strategy. He underscored the significance of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, which will directly link India to Thailand through Myanmar, strengthening trade connectivity with Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.
The Prime Minister also emphasized the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Project, which connects Kolkata Port with Myanmar’s Sittwe Port and then inland to Mizoram. This project, he noted, will drastically cut the travel distance between West Bengal and Mizoram, improving logistics and spurring industrial growth.
Further enhancing regional infrastructure, Modi pointed to the development of Multi-Modal Logistics Hubs in Guwahati, Imphal, and Agartala, as well as the operationalization of new Land Custom Stations in Meghalaya and Mizoram. These efforts, he said, are unlocking new international trade opportunities and positioning the northeast as a rising force in India’s engagement with Indo-Pacific markets.
Modi also promoted the government’s Heal in India initiative as a global wellness movement, positioning the northeast as an ideal destination due to its rich biodiversity, pristine natural environment, and organic lifestyle. He encouraged investors to consider the region’s potential for wellness and health tourism.
In addition, the Prime Minister spotlighted the northeast’s emergence as a hub for strategic sectors such as energy and semiconductors. He announced that the government has approved several large-scale hydropower and solar energy projects across the region, representing investments worth thousands of crores.
Beyond infrastructure, Modi emphasized the manufacturing potential in renewable technologies—including solar modules, storage systems, and research. Strengthening domestic capacity in these areas, he said, is crucial to reducing reliance on imports and securing India’s energy future.
He also announced a major milestone: the upcoming launch of the first Made-in-India semiconductor chip manufactured in the northeast. The chip, he said, will mark the region’s entry into the high-tech industrial space and further solidify its role in India’s evolving semiconductor ecosystem. (Source: IANS)
