Guwahati: Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday hailed the deepening Indo-French partnership, describing it as “a bridge between vision and venture” during the Indo-French North-East Investment Forum held in Guwahati.
The event marked the final leg of Scindia’s four-day tour of the Northeast, during which he underscored Assam’s leadership role and the region’s emergence as India’s “new frontier of growth and collaboration.”
“India and France are bound not just by treaties, but by trust,” Scindia said, highlighting that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, bilateral relations have evolved into “one of the world’s most comprehensive strategic partnerships — combining strategy with soul, and innovation with inclusion.”
Tracing the partnership’s milestones, the minister cited the launch of the International Solar Alliance in 2015, joint work on smart cities, the Rafale collaboration under AatmaNirbhar Bharat, and the 2024 UPI launch at Paris’s Eiffel Tower as examples of a dynamic and future-oriented alliance.
“Today, we extend that light to India’s Northeast — a region fast emerging as the new frontier of Indo-French collaboration,” he said.
Scindia noted that the Northeast, once seen as “landlocked,” is now “land-linked and future-ready,” with more than ₹6.2 lakh crore invested under the Centre’s 10% GBS allocation. The past decade, he said, has seen the construction of 6,500 km of new roads, 900 km of railway lines, 17 operational airports, and 96% village connectivity under BharatNet.
The minister said the Rising North East Investors Summit had seen investment commitments worth ₹4.48 lakh crore, reflecting growing investor confidence. Assam, he added, has emerged as a hub for India’s semiconductor and technology ecosystem, with mega infrastructure projects such as the ₹22,864 crore Shillong–Silchar Greenfield Expressway expected to link the region to the Bay of Bengal and ASEAN trade routes.
French companies including Total Energies, Airbus, Dassault Systèmes, Decathlon, and POMA are already contributing to the region’s transformation in clean energy, aviation, design, retail, and sustainable mobility, Scindia said.
Inviting French investors to explore opportunities in agri-business, renewable energy, tourism, smart infrastructure, IT, handicrafts, and education, he assured them of a “facilitative and transparent” investment environment through government programs such as UNNATI and PLI, as well as single-window clearances.
Calling Assam “the gateway of the Northeast’s resurgence” and “the nucleus of India’s Act East and Indo-Pacific vision,” Scindia described the region as “India’s best-kept secret — serene in its beauty, strong in its spirit, and soaring in its potential.”
“As India rises with confidence under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, and Assam leads the Northeast’s growth story, let us together turn this forum into a living bridge of opportunity — from the Brahmaputra to the Seine, from Paris to Pasighat,” Scindia said, concluding his remarks.
