Leverage the Northeast as a strategic gateway for the Act East Policy

Implementation toward positioning the Northeast as a strategic gateway under India’s Act East Policy is continuing across cross-border transport, domestic connectivity, industrial development and social infrastructure. Existing programmes have continued since the 2024 election; their cumulative totals should not be treated as delivery entirely since that election. A January 2026 official reply reported 16,207 km of National Highways as of 1 April 2025, with another 177 highway projects covering 3,635 km and costing ₹87,119 crore under implementation. By 28 February 2026, PM-DevINE sanctions had reached 48 projects worth ₹6,044.36 crore, with three projects worth ₹176.11 crore completed. The ₹10,037-crore UNNATI 2024 scheme provides industrial investment incentives. Sanctions and incentive frameworks are distinct from completed facilities or investments actually grounded. On 5 October 2026, a barge carrying 540 metric tonnes of methanol departed Bogibeel Terminal, Dibrugarh, for Pangaon Port in Dhaka via National Waterway-2 and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route. The shipping ministry described this as the first international cargo shipment from Upper Assam since Independence. This demonstrates actual cross-border freight dispatch; arrival, sustained traffic and commercial viability remain to be established. Important gaps remain. A March 2026 parliamentary committee called for remaining Kaladan and Trilateral Highway road works to be expedited. An August reply confirmed Kaladan’s waterway component was complete and recorded completed Trilateral Highway sections, including a Kalewa–Yargi section handed over in October 2025; it does not establish that the entire corridor is operational. Updated evidence is still needed for the Kaladan Paletwa–Zorinpui road link and end-to-end highway connectivity, alongside comparable education, health and security outcomes. This broad, multi-year commitment sets no numerical completion endpoint. Continuing implementation and measurable connectivity and freight progress justify On Track, while incomplete links and wider outcome gaps prevent a fulfilled verdict. High confidence describes the evidence for this progress, not completion of every dimension. Relevant programme funding is budget context; no single allocation specifically attributable to this combined manifesto promise has been identified.