NEW DELHI | Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Thursday described Tripura as one of the most promising investment destinations in the Northeast, saying the state is rapidly emerging as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia under the Centre’s Act East Policy.

Addressing the Destination Tripura Business Conclave 2026 virtually, Scindia called on industry leaders and investors to become partners in Tripura’s growth story, highlighting the state’s strategic location, natural resources and expanding infrastructure network.

The Union Minister said the Northeast is increasingly becoming a major driver of India’s economic transformation and will play a crucial role in the country’s journey towards becoming a developed nation.

“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Northeast is emerging as a key engine of growth for a Viksit Bharat. The Act East Policy has transformed the region from India’s frontier into its gateway to Southeast Asia, opening up new opportunities for trade, connectivity and investment,” Scindia said.

Highlighting Tripura’s strategic significance, he noted that the state occupies a crucial position at the crossroads of connectivity, commerce and regional cooperation. According to him, Agartala is steadily evolving into a gateway linking India with the ASEAN region, a market of more than 670 million people and one of the world’s fastest-growing economic blocs.

Scindia said the Destination Tripura Business Conclave reflects the state’s readiness to attract long-term investments across multiple sectors and showcases its growing potential as a preferred destination for domestic and international businesses.

The minister pointed to Tripura’s abundant natural resources as a major advantage for investors. He highlighted the state’s reserves of natural gas, bamboo, agarwood, rubber, tea, spices and horticultural products, along with its educated workforce, improving infrastructure and investor-friendly policies.

He noted that Tripura is India’s largest producer of bamboo and the country’s second-largest producer of natural rubber, creating significant opportunities in manufacturing, value-added industries, food processing, logistics, exports and technology-driven enterprises.

“Investment follows confidence, confidence follows infrastructure, and infrastructure follows vision,” Scindia said, stressing that sustained public investment in infrastructure has laid the foundation for private sector growth in the Northeast.

The Union Minister said the Centre has significantly expanded connectivity and infrastructure across the region over the past decade through targeted investments and policy support. These efforts, he said, have improved the region’s integration with national and international markets.

Among the key connectivity projects highlighted by Scindia were the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, the Special Economic Zone at Sabroom, the Maitri Setu bridge connecting India and Bangladesh, and the Integrated Check Post that facilitates cross-border trade.

According to the minister, these projects are helping position Tripura as a major logistics and export hub with direct access to markets in Bangladesh, Southeast Asia and the wider Bay of Bengal region.

He said the state’s transformation from a geographically landlocked region into a strategically connected economic gateway demonstrates the broader changes taking place across the Northeast.

Calling on businesses to explore opportunities in the state, Scindia said Tripura offers a favourable ecosystem for investment and is well placed to benefit from the growing economic integration between India and Southeast Asia.

Reaffirming the Centre’s commitment to the Northeast, he said the region’s eight states-often referred to as the Ashtalakshmi states-are expected to play a leading role in India’s next phase of economic growth.

The Destination Tripura Business Conclave 2026 brought together policymakers, industry representatives and investors to explore opportunities across key sectors and promote the state as an emerging destination for business, trade and industrial development.