Mera Saansad
Search Search
Malayalam language

From Neglected States to the Gateway to South Asia – 5 Years of Modi in North East

Published By : Admin | March 22, 2019 | 14:21 IST

From being the ‘Neglected States of the Nation’ to ‘Look and Act East Policy’, the past five years have been transformational for North East India. The last time North East India received undivided attention from lawmakers and policymakers was when Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the first Prime Minister to spend a night in the region. His tenure was dotted with multiple initiatives that aimed to connect North East India through infrastructure and technology, including the conception of a separate ministry, a non-lapsable pool of funds for the North Eastern Region, inclusion of Sikkim as a member of North Eastern Council and a dedicated department for the development of North East region. Unfortunately, after he demitted office, the region once again suffered from the tyranny of distance. Although the UPA enjoyed significance political presence in the region, projects suffered from delays, cost escalation, and complete policy negligence.

Since the Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office, he once again directed policy attention towards the region across various dimensions of development including economy, infrastructure, employment, industry, and culture.In a democracy, to bring pathbreaking changes, interaction with lawmakers is inevitable. The Bhartiya Janta Party with a committed leadership and intricate network of cadres, achieved political success in the region and provided much needed will to collaborate with the Centre and work towards taking the region forward. To put this in perspective, during his tenure,the PM himself has visited the region more than 30 times. The party fortified its political presence across the North-East, including the bastion of the Left i.e. Tripura.  The NDA is in power in six out of seven North East states in the region.

Some of the steps that have altered the socio-economic canvas of North East India since 2014 include:

  • India’s longest rail and road bridge, 4.94 km Bogibeel Bridge was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in 2018.
  • It took a Modi Government at the Centre to give railway accessibility to the region. The Government ensured that 900 km tracks of broad gauge are laid in the region. 88-km Dhansiri-Kohima railway track that connected Kohima to the national railway network along with Rajdhani Express, Tripura Sundari Express, provided the long-awaited railway access to the region.
  • The "Transformation by Transportation" policy of Narendra Modi included projects for more than 3,800 km of national highways and investment of Rs. 60,000 crore under the Special Accelerated Road Development and Rs. 30,000 crore under the Bharatmala project.
  • There has been concerted push to connect the terrain through air in the past five years. An aviation manpower training institute, development of Rupsi airport, expansion of the air facility at Dimapur are some of the projects undertaken by the Modi Government to ensure the region gets adequate gateways to the rest of India.
  • In 2016, Mary Kom, one of India’s finest sportsperson became a member of the Rajya Sabha. This was a matter of pride, not just for Manipur, but also for the entire region. Commitment of the central leadership to nurture sports talent is reflected in the first National Sports University at Manipur.
  • In one of the pathbreaking policy announcements, the Government
    re-classified bamboo from tree to grass. Bamboo is critical to the economy of North Eastand this policy will provide a fillip to the regional economy since transportation of trees attracts certain restriction.
  • Rima Das’s film Village Rockstars was awarded as thebest national film award. Recognitions and rewards such as these provide motivation to budding talent in the region and breaks the conventional wisdom that suggests North East has limited future due to the tyranny of distance.
  • An integrated large-scale Eri farming was launched in Arunachal Pradesh under the North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS). Financial assistance to 4000 beneficiaries under the NERTPS has been announced along with skill training to Eri silk farmers and weavers.

With BJP at the helm of affairs, regional policies were reinforced and reinvigorated at the National level. It gave the region visibility and recognition across the political, social and cultural realm, which eventually made the region more secure and brought it closer to the rest of the Nation. With growing number of food parks, textile industry, and information technology, North East has the potential to be the trade link between India and South East Asia and emerge as a new normal in the years to come. Region’s significance has been enhanced with the South Asian Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) road connectivity programme, a response to China’s ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative will be crucial.

Login or Register to add your comment
Explore More
ശ്രീരാമജന്മഭൂമി ക്ഷേത്രത്തിലെ പതാക ഉയർത്തൽ ഉത്സവത്തിനിടെ പ്രധാനമന്ത്രി നടത്തിയ പ്രസം​ഗം

ജനപ്രിയ പ്രസംഗങ്ങൾ

ശ്രീരാമജന്മഭൂമി ക്ഷേത്രത്തിലെ പതാക ഉയർത്തൽ ഉത്സവത്തിനിടെ പ്രധാനമന്ത്രി നടത്തിയ പ്രസം​ഗം
View All
Jan Dhan accounts hold Rs 2.75 lakh crore in banks: Official

Media Coverage

Jan Dhan accounts hold Rs 2.75 lakh crore in banks: Official
View All
NM on the go

Nm on the go

Always be the first to hear from the PM. Get the App Now!
Download App
...
6 Years of Jal Jeevan Mission: Transforming Lives, One Tap at a Time
August 14, 2025
Jal Jeevan Mission has become a major development parameter to provide water to every household.” - PM Narendra Modi

For generations, the sight of women carrying pots of water on their heads was an everyday scene in rural India. It was more than a chore, it was a necessity that was an integral part of their everyday life. The water was brought back, often just one or two pots which had to be stretched for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and washing. It was a routine that left little time for rest, education, or income-generating work, and the burden fell most heavily on women.

Before 2014 water scarcity, one of India’s most pressing problems, was met with little urgency or vision. Access to safe drinking water was fragmented, villages relied on distant sources, and nationwide household tap connections were seen as unrealistic.

This reality began to shift in 2019, when the Government of India launched the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). A centrally sponsored initiative which aims at providing a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household. At that time, only 3.2 crore rural households, a modest 16.7% of the total, had tap water. The rest still depended on community sources, often far from home.

As of July 2025, the progress under the Har Ghar Jal program has been exceptional, with 12.5 crore additional rural households connected, bringing the total to over 15.7 crore. The program has achieved 100% tap water coverage in 200 districts and over 2.6 lakh villages, with 8 states and 3 union territories now fully covered. For millions, this means not just access to water at home, but saved time, improved health, and restored dignity. Nearly 80% of tap water coverage has been achieved in 112 aspirational districts, a significant rise from less than 8%. Additionally, 59 lakh households in LWE districts have gained tap water connections, ensuring development reaches every corner. Acknowledging both the significant progress and the road ahead, the Union Budget 2025–26 announced the program’s extension until 2028 with an increased budget.

The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched nationally in 2019, traces its origins to Gujarat, where Narendra Modi, as Chief Minister, tackled water scarcity in the arid state through the Sujalam Sufalam initiative. This effort formed a blueprint for a mission that would one day aim to provide tap water to every rural household in India.

Though drinking water is a State subject, the Government of India has taken on the role of a committed partner, providing technical and financial support while empowering States to plan and implement local solutions. To keep the Mission on track, a strong monitoring system links Aadhaar for targeting, geo-tags assets, conducts third-party inspections, and uses IoT devices to track village water flow.

The Jal Jeevan Mission’s objectives are as much about people as they are about pipes. By prioritizing underserved and water-stressed areas, ensuring that schools, Anganwadi centres, and health facilities have running water, and encouraging local communities to take ownership through contributions or shramdaan, the Mission aims to make safe water everyone’s responsibility..

The impact reaches far beyond convenience. The World Health Organization estimates that achieving JJM’s targets could save over 5.5 crore hours each day, time that can now be spent on education, work, or family. 9 crore women no longer need to fetch water from outside. WHO also projects that safe water for all could prevent nearly 4 lakh deaths from diarrhoeal disease and save Rs. 8.2 lakh crores in health costs. Additionally, according to IIM Bangalore and the International Labour Organization, JJM has generated nearly 3 crore person-years of employment during its build-out, with nearly 25 lakh women are trained to use Field testing Kits.

From the quiet relief of a mother filling a glass of clean water in her kitchen, to the confidence of a school where children can drink without worry, the Jal Jeevan Mission is changing what it means to live in rural India.