Modi Ji Is the Grand Architect of the New and Resurgent North East”: Sarbananda Sonowal

New Delhi, Dec 04, 2025, PIB

The Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as “the grand architect of a new and resurgent Northeast,” transforming a region once neglected for decades into a major driver of India’s growth, connectivity and national pride.Speaking on the development outcomes achieved over the last decade, Sonowal said the Northeast has transitioned “from the margins of policymaking to the mainstream of national priorities,” reflecting the prime minister’s commitment to infrastructure expansion, economic reform, cultural revival and long-term peace-building.“The Northeast suffered seven decades of under-representation and underinvestment,” Sarbananda Sonowal said. “Under Modi ji, the region is recognized as the Ashtalakshmi of India — not just a border region but a new engine of national growth. From railway capital connectivity and airports to highways, power, digital networks and inland waterways, the transformation has been historic.”The Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said connectivity has been the cornerstone of the prime minister’s roadmap.All major gauge conversion work in the region has been completed, with Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram connected to the broad gauge network and goods and passenger trains reaching the region’s interiors for the first time. The Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge — completed in 2018 — and the commissioning of the Bhairabi–Sairang link in June 2025 have expanded access across Assam and Mizoram