GUWAHATI, June 12: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said while the last decade had integrated the Northeast into India’s development narrative, the next decade must place the region at the centre of the country’s growth architecture.
Addressing NITI Aayog’s interaction with chief ministers of northeastern states in New Delhi, Sarma said growth should be measured not only across people but also across geography as India moves towards the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047.
“I shared the conviction that this must guide India’s next decade: as we move towards Viksit Bharat 2047,” Sarma said in a social media post. He said that the first phase of India’s transformation focused on accelerating growth and the next phase must ‘‘focus on broadening the geography of growth by ensuring that every region participates fully in the opportunities that growth creates.”
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Sarma said the Northeast has moved from the margins of national discourse to the centre of national policymaking, aided by improved connectivity, lasting peace, accelerated infrastructure development and the Act East Policy.
“For Assam, this has meant real outcomes, from rising investor confidence and the Tata semiconductor facility to growing investments in manufacturing, logistics, renewable energy and technology,” he said.
“Assam today is not just catching up; it is contributing to the national growth, but geography remains a challenge as coastal states enjoy ports, shorter supply chains and lower logistics costs. Assam remains effectively landlocked, dependent on a narrow corridor where infrastructure costs more and freight takes longer. These are the structural realities of the region,” he said.
Sarma said his submission is to ‘‘follow the principle of geographic equity–where public investment in strategically important, geographically challenging regions should be assessed not by expenditure efficiency, but by national integration, regional balance and long-term competitiveness’’.
‘‘Our greatest asset is our youth… The next phase must align skilling with emerging sectors like semiconductors, AI, green energy and advanced manufacturing,” he said.
Sarma asserted that Assam was ready to serve as a growth hub, a gateway economy and a strategic bridge to the wider Asian region. (PTI)
