RIL, Adani, Vedanta pledge ₹1.55 trillion investment in Northeast India

PM said the first Made-in-India chip from a Northeast-based semicon plant will soon be introduced

India’s top industrial houses, led by Reliance Industries, Adani group, and Vedanta group, on Friday pledged a number of investments across sectors in the Northeast region of the country.

 

Addressing the Rising North East Investors Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said diversity of the Northeast is its biggest strength, and every state in the region is declaring its readiness for investment and leadership.

 

“The Northeast is emerging as a key destination for two strategic sectors -- energy and semiconductors,” he said.

 

He said the first Made-in-India chip from a Northeast-based semiconductor plant will soon be introduced, signalling a major milestone for the region that will unlock opportunities for cutting-edge technology and solidify the region's position in India's high-tech industrial growth.

 

He said the Northeast was once associated with "bombs, guns and blockades" that severely impacted opportunities for its youth. "Our government has a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and insurgency,” he said. 

 

Speaking at the inaugural session of the Rising Northeast Investors Summit in New Delhi, Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director, Reliance Industries, said the group would more than double its investments in the region to ₹75,000 crore over five years, spanning across sectors like digital infrastructure, clean energy, retail, healthcare, and sports.

 

“Reliance has invested around ₹30,000 crore in the past 40 years. In the next five years, we will more than double our investments,” said Ambani, adding that the initiative is expected to create over 2.5 million direct and indirect jobs.

 

Reliance Jio will double its 5G subscriber base from 5 million and integrate AI into education, health care, and enterprises. Reliance Retail plans to expand procurement from local farmers and artisans while setting up FMCG factories. In the clean energy space, the conglomerate will develop 350 compressed biogas plants, turning “vast wasteland into wealth-land,” said Ambani.

 

The group’s philanthropic arm, Reliance Foundation, is expanding its presence with a 150-bed cancer hospital in Manipur, a genomic breast cancer care initiative with Mizoram University, and one of India’s largest genome sequencing labs in Guwahati.

 

Anil Agarwal, chairman of Vedanta Group, also pledged ₹30,000 crore in investments in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Mizoram, with plans to generate up to 100,000 jobs. 

 

The investment will be made in the fields of oil and gas, critical minerals, refining facilities, power, optical fibre, system integration, renewable energy, transmission sectors, and data centres, Agarwal said.  Earlier this year, the company had announced a Rs 50,000 crore investment in Assam.

 

“Today, the states of the Northeast are growing in double digits. Vedanta is fully committed to investment in the region, which has the most amazing natural resources potential, from oil and gas to critical minerals, and an exceptional pool of talented human resources,” said Agarwal.

 

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani announced an additional ₹50,000 crore investment over the next decade, building on a ₹50,000 crore commitment made in Assam three months ago.

 

“Our focus will span green energy, including smart meters, hydro, pumped storage, power transmission, roads and highways, digital infrastructure, logistics, as well as capacity-building through skilling and vocational training centres,” said Adani.

 

"More than infrastructure, we will invest in people. Every initiative will prioritize local jobs, local entrepreneurship, and community engagement," he added.

 

With inputs from PTI