New Delhi: At the Rising Northeast Investors Summit 2025 held in Bharat Mandapam on May 23, 2025, India’s leading industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani pledged a combined ₹1.25 lakh crore to accelerate development in the northeast, building on their earlier commitments made at the Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit in Guwahati in February. The summit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, showcased the region’s potential as a growth hub, aligning with the government’s vision to transform the northeast into a key economic corridor.
Ambani’s Six Commitments to the Northeast
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced a ₹75,000 crore investment over the next five years, more than doubling the company’s existing ₹30,000 crore footprint in the region over the past 40 years. Saluting PM Modi for the “resounding success of Operation Sindoor,” Ambani outlined six key commitments to the chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. These include doubling Jio’s 5G subscriber base to 10 million by year-end, increasing Reliance Retail’s procurement of staples, fruits, and vegetables to boost farmers’ incomes, enhancing solar power generation, establishing a 150-bed cancer hospital in Manipur through the Reliance Foundation, setting up Olympic training centers across all eight states, and creating 350 compressed biogas plants to convert waste into wealth. Ambani emphasized, “In addition to creating over 2.5 million direct and indirect employment opportunities, we aspire to touch the lives of most of our 45 million sisters and brothers in the Northeast.”
Adani’s Focus on Infrastructure and Jobs
Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, pledged an additional ₹50,000 crore over the next 10 years, on top of the ₹50,000 crore committed for Assam in February, bringing the group’s total investment in the northeast to ₹1 lakh crore. The new funds will target green energy (including hydro, smart meters, and pumped storage), power transmission, roads, digital infrastructure, logistics, and skill development, with a focus on local job creation and community engagement. Adani highlighted the region’s diversity and potential, stating, “Behind this rise is the vision of one leader who recognizes no borders, only beginnings,” referring to PM Modi’s ‘Act East, Act Fast, Act First’ approach. The Adani Group’s initiatives are expected to create over 1 lakh jobs, according to industry estimates.
PM Modi’s Vision for the Northeast
In his inaugural address, PM Modi underscored the northeast’s transformation, stating, “The Northeast is the most diverse region of our diverse nation, and its diversity is its greatest strength.” He framed the region’s role in India’s growth through the acronym EAST—Empower, Act, Strengthen, and Transform—highlighting its potential in trade, tradition, textiles, and tourism. The summit saw participation from Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and the chief ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura, reflecting a unified push for the region’s development.
Economic Impact and Regional Growth
The combined investments are set to reshape the northeast’s economic landscape. A 2024 report by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) indicates that the region’s infrastructure development has already attracted $3 billion in private investment since 2019. The new commitments could generate over 3.5 million jobs by 2035, per a study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Additionally, the focus on green energy aligns with India’s goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, with the northeast potentially contributing 15% of this target through solar and hydro projects.