New Delhi, Oct 17 (UNI) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia today expressed pride over the progress made by the region in the past year, saying its decadal GDP growth has been higher than the country’s average.
Scindia chaired a joint media briefing on the one-year achievements (August 2024 – September 2025) of the Ministry, Department of Posts (DoP), and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Minister of State for Communications Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Education and DoNER Dr Sukanta Majumdar, and MDoNER Secretary Chanchal Kumar were present at the event.
Addressing mediapersons, Scindia noted that the ministry has advanced on the three pillars of ‘Reform, Reach, and Results’, achieving record growth in infrastructure, investment, governance, and youth engagement.
“The Northeast today represents the spirit of a new India — empowered, connected, and future-ready. Guided by the Prime Minister’s vision, the region has transformed from a frontier into a front-runner, symbolising confidence and competitiveness,” he stated.
Elaborating on the high growth potential of the NE region, he noted that the decadal GDP growth of the region has been higher than the country’s average. He highlighted the high literacy rate and huge demographic dividend, with 70 per cent of the population below the age of 28 years. “All these combine to make the region the growth engine of India in the true sense,” he said.
He highlighted that the Ministry achieved its highest-ever expenditure of Rs 3,447.71 crore in FY 2024-25, marking a 74.4 per cent increase over the previous year and more than 200 per cent growth in three years.
Lauding the performance, he noted that this reflects MDoNER’s emphasis on fiscal discipline, digital monitoring, and timely delivery.”Weekly review mechanisms, four-installment fund releases, and digital tracking through the Poorvottar Vikas Setu portal have brought transparency and efficiency, resulting in 97 per cent project inspection coverage and 91 per cent operationalisation of completed projects.”
In a major governance reform, the Ministry has institutionalised Chief Minister-led Sectoral High-Level Task Forces across eight sectors — tourism, investment, handicrafts, agriculture, infrastructure, sports, the Northeast economic corridor & protein self-reliance.
These task forces are fostering interstate collaboration, enabling policy alignment, and ensuring that development efforts are regionally integrated rather than state-bound, he said.
Scindia, also the union Minister for Communications, underscored the strong investment momentum generated during the year. He said the Rising North East Investors Summit 2025, held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, in May 2025, and related events resulted in Rs 4.48 lakh crore worth of investment commitments, a historic milestone for the region.
He further highlighted MDoNER’s efforts to position the Northeast as a global tourism and cultural destination through a unified Brand Northeast strategy. Each state has identified unique products and experiences such as Muga Silk of Assam, Lakadong Turmeric of Meghalaya, Polo from Manipur, organic farming from Sikkim, and Queen Pineapple of Tripura to promote its identity.
Eight iconic tourism destinations, including Kaziranga, Ziro, Sohra, Thenzawl, Matabari, Kisama, Namchi, and Moirang, are being developed as world-class attractions under public-private partnerships. Homestay and eco-tourism models have expanded across states, contributing to a 45 per cent rise in rural incomes and fostering sustainable livelihoods.
On the importance of improving connectivity to fully realise the tourism potential, Scindia mentioned the remarkable progress made during the last 11 years.
“As compared to just 9 airports in 8 NE states, with no airports in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, the number has now increased to 17, with 4 airports in Arunachal Pradesh alone. As regards rail connectivity, all the NE states will be connected by the year 2029,” he said.
”We are also progressing with the Kaladan and India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway projects to connect the NE region with the rest of the world. The region is emerging as the gateway of India rather than being the last frontier,” he added.
Scindia also underlined government’s efforts to diversify the Northeast’s economy through industry-led agri-horticulture value chain development.
