The Rising North East Investors Summit 2025 being held in the national capital should serve as an ideal platform to woo investors to the Northeast. The region which had suffered historical neglect owing partly to its isolated geographical location and largely to the myopic vision of successive governments which invariably viewed the region through the security prism is in urgent need of development. Of course, the past couple of decades witnessed the development process to somewhat set in, it still has miles to go to catch up with the developed regions of the country.
While a lot of rhetoric invariably flies thick and fast at such summits, the more important thing is to follow up on the positives of such events. These business summits attract a significant presence of industry leaders and the task at hand for the State governments in the Northeast is to drive home the message that the region is an ideal place to invest in.
A scrutiny of the recent summits makes it clear that a lion’s share of the promised investments has come from Indian companies such as Reliance, Adani Group, OIL, etc. Since our thrust is on roping in the best investors from foreign countries, we must be able to match our rhetoric with convincing and realistic presentations of the investment climate we have here.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the mindboggling potential of the Northeast in tourism, stemming chiefly from its unparalleled diversity in terms of nature, wildlife and landscapes, ethnic cultures, history and heritage, etc., nothing can be realized unless our governments put in place a futuristic plan backed by vision and hard work on the ground.
The region is also replete with potential for bio-economy and bamboo industry, while tea and petroleum sectors stand out as time-tested ones. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the shift from ‘Look East’ to ‘Act East’ but unfortunately, no proactive approach is visible on the part of the Government of India as yet to tap this unique potential which can be a game-changer for the Northeast.
Then, in the haste for infrastructure development in the region, the State governments must not ride roughshod over the bounty of nature which is the very soul of the region. Indeed, the correlation between sustainable development, including sustainable tourism and preservation of the sanctity of the natural environment, must not be breached. What we need is inclusive and equitable development without besmirching our natural bequest.