Northeast & Act East

India's eight Northeastern states, linked to the rest of the country by a narrow corridor, were long held back by remoteness and insurgency. From 2014 the 'Act East' policy made the region a bridge to Southeast Asia and a development priority.

Record bridges (Bogibeel, Dhola–Sadiya), new rail lines reaching state capitals for the first time, and a wave of airports and highways slashed travel times. Historic peace accords — Bodo, Bru-Reang, Karbi Anglong, ULFA — ended decades-old conflicts, and AFSPA was rolled back in many districts.

The Northeast — eight states long cut off by geography and conflict — is developed through a deliberate mix of connectivity and inclusion. A dedicated ministry (DoNER) coordinates, and central ministries are required to spend a fixed share (about 10%) of their budgets in the region. The Act East Policy frames it as India's gateway to South-East Asia, while a string of peace accords with insurgent groups has aimed to trade arms for development.

Connectivity has transformed the region — new bridges, the first railway lines and airports, and tunnels like Sela linking once-remote areas. The unfinished task is turning that access and relative peace into broad-based jobs and prosperity: hard terrain and floods make development slow and costly, and some tensions (as in Manipur) still need resolving, so the priority is steady investment, local livelihoods and lasting reconciliation.

The unfinished task is turning connectivity and peace into broad-based jobs and prosperity — terrain and floods make this hard, and some tensions (as in Manipur) still need resolving.

8 states; Act East (2014); record bridges; rail to state capitals; Bodo/Bru-Reang/Karbi/ULFA peace accords. Source: MDoNER.