New Delhi: 

Hailing the diversity of the Northeast, which is the home to a big chunk of the ethnic population, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the region is a vital part in the country's growth story. He further said his government played a part in the Northeast's unprecedented progress, and is determined to accelerate the pace of development further.

"The Northeast is witnessing unprecedented progress. We are determined to accelerate its growth story," he said while inaugurating the two-day event, which is being attended by chief ministers of the region, union ministers, bureaucrats, diplomats, among others.

Addressing the 'Rising North East Investors Summit' here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a clarion call to India Inc. to reap the first mover advantage for investing in the northeast states as the region has been transformed, in the last 11 years, from a backwards “frontier region to a growth front-runner.”

Top industry leaders Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Anil Agarwal, among others, attended the inaugural session. Modi said for his government, EAST means - "Empower, Act, Strengthen and Transform".

"There was a time when the Northeast was only called frontier, now it is the frontrunner of growth," he said. He said the Northeast was earlier synonymous with bombs, guns and rockets, which took away many opportunities from youths there.

"Over 10,000 youths in the Northeast have given up violence in the last decade," he said. Prime Minister Modi also said that his government follows a zero-tolerance policy, be it terrorism or Naxalism.

The summit is being organised to highlight the Northeast region as a land of opportunity, attracting global and domestic investment and bringing together key stakeholders, investors, and policy-makers on a single platform, officials said.

The event is the culmination of various pre-summit activities, such as a series of roadshows, and states' roundtables, including ambassadors' meetings and bilateral chambers meetings organised by the central government with active support from the state governments of the Northeastern region.

The summit will include ministerial sessions, business-to-government sessions, business-to-business meetings, start-ups and exhibitions of policy and related initiatives taken by state governments and central ministries for investment promotion, officials said.

The main focus sectors of investment promotion include tourism and hospitality, Agro-food processing and allied sectors, textiles, handloom and handicrafts, healthcare, education and skill development, information technology and information technology-enabled services, infrastructure and logistics, energy, entertainment and sports.

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