Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said Assam is uniquely positioned to emerge as a regional growth hub under India’s Act East Policy, calling on entrepreneurs to leverage the state’s strategic geography, improving connectivity and governance reforms to drive inclusive development across the Northeast.

Delivering the keynote address at the second Guwahati Dialogue, Sonowal said Assam has the potential to cater to a market of nearly 800 million people extending from Nepal to Myanmar, as India strengthens economic and logistical integration with Southeast Asia. He described the state as a natural gateway for trade, investment and growth aligned with the country’s broader development vision.

“Assam today stands at a unique geographical crossroads. With the Act East Policy as our framework, powered by the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the state is positioned to serve a market of nearly 800 million people from Nepal to Myanmar. I call upon entrepreneurs to seize this opportunity and make Assam a gateway for regional growth,” Sarbananda Sonowal said.

Reflecting on India’s development trajectory, the minister said the past 11 years have been transformative, marked by structural reforms, innovation and people-centric governance. “In the 76 years of our Independence, the last 11 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been truly transformational,” he said, highlighting improved connectivity to cities such as Gangtok and Aizawl and enhanced ease of living in previously marginalised regions.

Sonowal also noted the Prime Minister’s sustained engagement with the Northeast, citing more than 70 visits to the region, which he said has strengthened national integration under the vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.

Looking ahead to 2047, the minister said the goals of Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat must be pursued through development that is modern, inclusive and rooted in civilisational values. Emphasising the role of his ministry, he underlined the importance of pollution-free inland waterways, stating that waterways are not merely transport corridors but integral to sustainable and efficient growth.

The workshop aimed to enhance transparency and encourage informed dialogue by sharing proposed methodological and structural improvements ahead of the release of the revised data series. The new series of National Accounts and IIP, with 2022–23 as the base year, are scheduled for release on February 27, 2026 and May 28, 2026, respectively, while the revised CPI series with base year 2024 is slated for release on February 12, 2026.

The inaugural session was attended by Suman K. Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, as chief guest, along with Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI; V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor; and N. K. Santoshi, Director General (Central Statistics), MoSPI. The event brought together economists, subject experts, representatives from financial institutions and banks, data users, and senior officials from central and state governments.

In his address, Suman K. Bery underscored the importance of engaging with stakeholders to address concerns around the reliability and credibility of official statistics, calling the consultative process a positive step as India moves towards becoming an upper middle-income country. Saurabh Garg highlighted the role of data-driven policymaking in achieving the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, outlining key improvements such as greater use of administrative data sources like GST and PFMS, enhanced coverage of CPI markets, and more granular compilation of IIP.

V. Anantha Nageswaran noted the challenges of measuring the informal sector and stressed the need for transparent and consistent methodologies. The workshop featured technical sessions on National Accounts, CPI and IIP, followed by open discussions. MoSPI has invited feedback from data users, with discussion papers available on its website.