Modi Reveals ₹5,100 Cr Projects in Arunachal, Slams Past Neglect, Calls Northeast India’s ‘Driving Force’
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched and inaugurated development projects worth over ₹5,100 crore in Arunachal Pradesh’s capital, Itanagar, calling the state a symbol of India’s rising frontier and a centre of patriotism long neglected by previous governments.
Addressing a massive gathering, Modi invoked the Himalayas and local deity Donyi Polo, hailing Arunachal as a land of “valour and simplicity” that reflects the spirit of the nation.
He framed the visit as significant on three counts -- the inauguration of new development works, the rollout of GST rate reforms, and the occasion of Navratri.Image Source: PM NaMo
Among the key announcements were two major hydropower projects -- the Heo Hydro Electric Project (240 MW) and Tato-I Hydro Electric Project (186 MW) -- with a combined outlay of over ₹3,700 crore.
The PM also laid the foundation stone of a new Convention Centre in Tawang, situated at over 9,800 feet, and flagged off multiple connectivity and social infrastructure works worth ₹1,290 crore, including women’s hostels, fire safety installations, and medical facilities.
Modi said the scale of transformation in Arunachal -- once dismissed as “remote and backward” -- reflects what he called the “double engine” model of governance, with BJP in power both at the Centre and in the state.
He criticised the Congress for ignoring the Northeast for decades, citing low budgetary allocations and sparse visits by ministers.
“Arunachal received only ₹6,000 crore from central taxes in ten years of Congress rule. In ten years under our government, that figure crossed ₹1 lakh crore,” Modi said, adding that these were “just the tax share” and didn’t include project spending.
He also noted that over 450 border villages in Arunachal have now received roads, electricity, and internet under the Vibrant Villages Programme, a reversal of what he called a past mindset that considered these areas “last villages.”
Under the current policy, Modi said, they are now treated as the first villages of India -- a strategic and symbolic shift.
Modi described the eight Northeastern states as India’s “Ashtalakshmi,” or eight forms of prosperity, and said development of the region is central to India’s national growth goals. He cited multiple visits by ministers -- over 800 since 2014 -- and his own 70+ visits to the region as proof that Delhi was no longer distant from the Northeast.
On taxation, the Prime Minister used the occasion to push the “GST Savings Festival”, describing the newly simplified two-rate GST structure (5% and 18%) as a reform that would directly benefit women, families, and small businesses.
He contrasted it with pre-2014 conditions when essential goods were taxed at over 30% and even modest income levels attracted income tax.
Modi said that annual income up to ₹12 lakh is now tax-free, a move he framed as both pro-middle class and a correction of past economic inequities.
He claimed these measures would ease monthly household burdens and support entrepreneurs, especially in remote and border areas.
Arunachal’s agricultural strengths -- from kiwi to cardamom -- were also highlighted, with the PM-Kisan scheme cited as a key pillar supporting farmers.
Modi reiterated his mission to empower women, including his government’s plan to create three crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ -- rural women earning over ₹1 lakh annually -- and the construction of multiple women’s hostels in the state.
Closing his address with a nationalistic appeal, Modi called for Swadeshi (self-reliance) as the engine of India’s future, urging people to “buy and sell what is made in India” and treat it as a badge of pride. “Say with pride: This is Swadeshi,” he repeated to loud cheers.
The visit comes as the government ramps up its 2047 development agenda, with Modi tying the Northeast’s growth directly to India’s ambition to become a developed country in the next two decades.