Jyotiraditya Scindia Hails Indo-French Ties, Calls Northeast India the ‘New Frontier of Growth’

Guwahati, November 3, 2025:Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, addressed the Indo-French North-East Investment Forum in Guwahati on Monday, marking the conclusion of his four-day visit to the Northeast.

Calling the forum “a bridge between vision and venture,” Scindia celebrated the enduring partnership between India and France, describing it as a relationship “bound not just by treaties, but by trust.”

He said that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the India–France relationship has grown into a “comprehensive strategic partnership combining strategy with soul, and innovation with inclusion.” The collaboration spans defence, space, clean energy, digital transformation, and sustainable urban development — reflecting a shared commitment to global progress.

Highlighting milestones in Indo-French cooperation, Scindia cited the International Solar Alliance (2015) launched by PM Modi and then French President François Hollande, partnerships in smart cities, the Rafale programme under AatmaNirbhar Bharat, and the launch of UPI at Paris’s Eiffel Tower in 2024, symbolizing India’s global fintech reach.

“Today, we extend that light to India’s Northeast, a region fast emerging as the new frontier of Indo-French collaboration,” he said.

Scindia detailed the transformation of the Northeast, noting that the region once seen as landlocked is now “land-linked and future-ready.” Over ₹6.2 lakh crore has been invested under the Government’s 10% GBS allocation, building 6,500 km of new roads, 900 km of railways, and operationalizing 17 airports, alongside 96% village connectivity under BharatNet.

He added that the Rising North East Investors Summit attracted investment commitments worth ₹4.48 lakh crore, underscoring investor confidence. Assam, he noted, is emerging as a semiconductor hub, with mega projects like the ₹22,864 crore Shillong–Silchar Greenfield Expressway connecting multiple northeastern states to the Bay of Bengal and ASEAN trade corridors.

Citing French firms such as Total Energies, Airbus, Dassault Systèmes, Decathlon, and POMA, Scindia acknowledged France’s existing role in green power, aviation, design, retail, and sustainable mobility in the region.

The Minister outlined key investment opportunities in agri-business, renewable energy, tourism, IT, aerospace, education, and smart infrastructure, urging French investors to collaborate under India’s policies like UNNATI, PLI, and single-window facilitation.

Describing Assam as “the gateway of the Northeast’s resurgence” and “the nucleus of India’s Act East and Indo-Pacific vision,” Scindia said, “The Northeast, with Assam at its heart, is India’s best-kept secret — serene in its beauty, strong in its spirit, and soaring in its potential.”

He concluded with a vision of an Indo-French corridor connecting “technology with tradition, and innovation with inclusion,” adding, “Let us together turn this forum into a living bridge of opportunity — from the Brahmaputra to the Seine, from Paris to Pasighat.”