Modi in Assam highlights: ‘Can’t imagine India's development without progress of Northeast,' says PM

Modi in Manipur: PM arrives in Manipur in his first visit since violence broke out in 2023, addresses public in Churachandpur

PM Modi in Manipur: After his visit to Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday evening reached Assam, where he attended an event in Guwahati to commemorate the 100th Birth Anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika. In Assam, PM Modi said that the development of India is impossible without the growth of the Northeast states. He also remembered musician Bhupen Hazarika calling it his "good fortune" to participate in the celebrations marking Hazarika’s birth centenary year.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi made his first trip to the northeastern state since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023. The Prime Minister was received at the Imphal airport by governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and chief secretary Puneet Kumar Goel.

The visit came as part of a three-day tour covering five states, during which the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for projects worth over ₹71,000 crore.

Modi began his three-day tour of Northeast and eastern India with a visit to Aizawl in Mizoram on Saturday morning, where he inaugurated the Bairabi–Sairang rail line, connecting Mizoram to the Indian Railways network for the first time.

During his tour, Modi will preside over events in Churachandpur, a Kuki-majority district, and Imphal, the Meitei-dominated capital. The state has been under the President’s rule since February, after ethnic clashes left more than 260 people dead and displaced over 60,000.

Officials said Modi will interact with internally displaced persons (IDPs) during his day-long visit, which is being closely watched as the first by the Prime Minister since violence engulfed the state two years ago.

“I will be attending programmes in Churachandpur and Imphal tomorrow, 13th September. We are fully committed to furthering inclusive and all-round development of Manipur,” the Prime Minister posted on X.

Modi in Manipur: What's on agenda

1. PM Modi will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for projects worth around ₹8,500 crore. These include ₹3,647 crore for roads, drainage and asset management, ₹550 crore for an infotech development project in Imphal, ₹1,280 crore for upgrading sections of National Highway (NH) 102A, and ₹1,119 crore for two-laning sections of NH 202 in Ukhrul.

2. Modi will also virtually inaugurate Manipur Bhawans in Delhi and Kolkata, the new civil secretariat at Mantripukhri, built at a cost of ₹538 crore, the state police headquarters, and an all-women’s market in various districts.

3. “Such initiatives underscore the Prime Minister’s continued commitment and dedication to the development and welfare of the state,” a government statement said.

4. Modi will arrive in Imphal around 2 pm and address the public at Kangla Fort. He is expected to stress inclusive development across communities.

5. Modi's five states tour begins today: The PM Modi’s visit to Manipur is part of a wider tour across Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.

6. On Sunday, Modi will be in Assam for the centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika in Guwahati and will launch projects worth ₹18,530 crore, including the Guwahati Ring Road and the Darrang Medical College and Hospital.

7. In Kolkata, he will inaugurate and address the 16th Combined Commanders’ Conference, the Armed Forces’ apex strategic forum.

8. The tour will conclude in Bihar, where Modi will launch projects worth ₹36,000 crore in Purnea, including a ₹25,000-crore thermal power plant at Pirpainti and the Kosi–Mechi River Link Project. He will also launch the National Makhana Board, announced in the Union Budget 2025, aimed at boosting Bihar’s makhana sector. Bihar is scheduled to go to polls later this year.