Northeast in Transition: From the least accessible to the most accessible

Northeast in Transition: From the least accessible to the most accessible
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The newly inaugurated Sittwe port in Myanmar, built with grants from India under the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, is expected to boost trade and economy in India’s north-eastern region and Southeast Asia. The port provides an alternative route to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects Assam and North East India to the rest of the country. Once fully operational, it would link the east coast of India to the north-eastern states, resulting in significant cost and time savings. Additionally, the Agartala-Akhaura railway project is expected to be completed by late next year, providing another link between the north-east and the rest of the country and abroad via Bangladesh.

The northeastern region’s connectivity has also been enhanced through air travel, with 17 airports currently operating in the region. According to an official document, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed the region Ashtalakshmi, or the “growth engine of New India,” with infrastructure, education, healthcare, and culture as priorities under central government policies. The Northeast Region Development, Tourism, and Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy said rapid advances in land transportation are key to the accelerated development of the region, adding that compared to spending Rs 2,122 crore per year between 2009-2014, the average annual budget allocation now stands at Rs 9,970 crore for the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Tags: Agartala-Akhaura Railway,Northeast India,Sittwe Port


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