New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Union Communications and Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the PM has visited northeast India 70 times, which is a record in itself.
He said that if you total all the visits of all Prime Ministers in the last 65 years, even they could not match the number of visits PM Modi has made. Along with that, an investment of Rs 5 lakh crore has been made in the northeastern region.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Jyotiraditya Scindia spoke on several topics, from his predictions for the Bihar polls to BSNL’s return to profit.
Below is the full interview:
IANS: The previous government didn’t focus on northeast India. But PM Modi called northeast India ‘Ashta Lakshmi’. What do you want to say about it?
Jyotiraditya Scindia: For this, we have to look at the history and past of India. The northeastern region used to connect the world with the Global South as a bridge. All the ASEAN countries’ trade routes, migration routes—everything was based on the northeastern region. Our northeastern region was a connector, and if its potential had been described to the world, it would have been commendable. But in the last 65 years, this region was gradually sidelined and blocked from development and progress. Changing that concept, the Prime Minister used all his power for the development and progress of the northeastern region. This was the voice of his conscience. He has visited the northeastern region about 70 times on his own, which is a record in itself. If you total all the visits of all Prime Ministers in the last 65 years, even they could not match his number of visits. Along with that, an investment of Rs 5 lakh crore has been made in the northeastern region. In infrastructure—whether it is roads, rail, or air service (my former ministry)—where there were only nine airports in 2014, today, 17 airports have been built. In states like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, there wasn’t even a single airport before. Today, there are four airports in Arunachal and one in Sikkim. In roads, there were 10,000 kilometres of National Highways before; today there are 16,000 kilometres. That means in ten years, we built almost as much as in the previous 65 years. In rural areas, 40,000 kilometres of roads have been built using Rs 50,000 crore. It’s the same with railways: nearly 2,000 kilometres of railway lines are being constructed with an investment of Rs 80,000 crore. We are committed to providing rail services in all eight states. Today, rail service is available in five states; we will provide it in the remaining three by 2027. Today, the longest road bridge in the country—the 4.5-km Bhupen Hazarika Bridge—has been built, and the world’s longest road-cum-rail bridge—the 9.5-km Bogibeel Bridge—has been completed. This is a record we couldn’t even imagine. Similarly, in the social sector—in health, education, and every other area—the goal has been to make the eight northeastern states the growth engine of the country. If we look at the world’s economic growth rate today, it’s about 2.5 per cent. India is growing at 7 to 7.5 per cent—more than three times the world’s rate. But if we look at the eight states of the northeast, all eight have been growing at 11 to 13 per cent over the last ten years. That means the northeastern region is growing at almost 3.5 to 4 times the world average, and more than twice India’s average. So, if you think of all India’s states and Union Territories as a train, then the engine of that train has definitely become the northeastern region.
IANS: What do you want to say about the slogan “Narendra Surrender” used by LoP Rahul Gandhi?
Jyotiraditya Scindia: What else is left for a political party to say, one that has been rejected by the people of the country? The nation’s honour and respect should always be the priority. But today, the Congress has fallen into such a deep pit that it shows India in a bad light internationally, comes back to India, and raises questions about our armed forces, our identity, our faith, and our pride. When surgical strikes or the Balakot operation happen, they say to show the proof. When Operation Sindoor happens, they question how many planes were shot down. It has become clear that the people of India don’t care about a party or a leadership that doesn’t care about India’s pride.
IANS: What is your prediction for the Bihar polls?
Jyotiraditya Scindia: We are fully confident about Bihar. The NDA coalition government will be formed. BJP and all its alliance partners will fight together. Service to Bihar, development of Bihar, and progress of Bihar are our priorities. The Prime Minister has shown over the past 10–11 years that development and progress are our focus. Change is the call of India, and the Prime Minister has brought the same change across the entire region—economically, socially, in every field—and is taking India’s flag to the world stage.
IANS: The digital revolution has completed a decade. PM Modi wrote an article on it. How do you see this as an accomplishment?
Jyotiraditya Scindia: I want to explain that this revolutionary change hasn’t just happened in India but in the world. There was a time, about 100 years ago, when the Industrial Revolution happened. Roads and railways were built, and that infrastructure laid the foundation for industrial growth. In this century, in this era, Information Technology and the Digital Revolution are the equivalent of road and railway construction. The difference is that those roads and railways were visible to everyone—they were physical, permanent. But this digital highway is invisible. Yet despite being invisible, its ability to transform ordinary lives is extraordinary. As a citizen of this country, I want to thank and congratulate the Prime Minister. Ten years ago, he not only predicted this revolutionary change but also created a complete strategy for how India would lead the world as a new power in this digital revolution. Let me share some numbers. A country that had only 90 crore mobile users now has 120 crore. A country that had only 25 crore internet connections now has almost 100 crore. A country with just 6 crore broadband connections (defined as over 2 GB) now has 94 crore. This is not an ordinary change—it is earth-shattering. And what has this change enabled? This is not just a telecommunications revolution. Because the whole world is now in your hands, in this box (your phone). You are connected to the world, and the world is connected to you. What is the spin-off of this? Economic progress. The money the government owes you can be sent to you directly in this box. Whatever business you want to do, you can do it with the whole world. The whole world can know you. On this basis, India has set new records in UPI and DBT. Today, 46 per cent of the world’s digital transactions happen in India. Nearly 1.7 billion transactions occur in India every year, worth about three trillion dollars. India is not a follower. India is the leader in digital transactions. If anyone deserves credit for building this digital highway, connecting everyone, and enabling UPI and DBT, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And look at the cost. Ten years ago, data cost Rs 290 per GB. Today, it is around Rs 9.5 per GB—a 95 per cent drop. Globally, the average data rate is about $2.50 per GB. India’s rate is five per cent of that. So India can become the world’s data bank and data leader on the basis of this capability.
IANS: BSNL recently announced a profit. How did that happen?
Jyotiraditya Scindia: The UPA government had left BSNL on critical support – not even ventilator support. The Prime Minister resolved that we would fully redeploy BSNL in the service of the people and make it beloved once again. Several economic packages were announced, including Rs 3 lakh crore for BSNL. All the economic and strategic steps were taken. On the basis of tireless efforts over the last 12–15 months—and I give full credit to every member of the BSNL family, from linesmen in villages to the headquarters team—they have worked with total dedication and commitment. For the first time in 18 years, in the October–December 2024 quarter, BSNL posted a net profit of Rs 262 crore. In the January–March 2025 quarter, it posted Rs 280 crore in net profit. This wasn’t possible in the last 18 years. For FY 2025, BSNL reported 8 per cent revenue growth, from Rs 20,000 crore to nearly Rs 21,900 crore. Operating profit jumped from Rs 2,346 crore last year to Rs 5,300 crore this year—a 150 per cent increase. The net loss, which was Rs 5,170 crore last year, has been reduced by 55 per cent to Rs 2,100 crore. And last year, BSNL achieved the highest CAPEX in its history – Rs 25,000 crore. For the first time ever, India has created its own military-grade stack for full 4G implementation. 95,000 sites have been installed, nearly 90,000 commissioned, and 74–75,000 are live on air. Our 4G network is fully ready with a self-reliant solution. We are adopting a similar approach in India Post. We’ve been working on complete business process reengineering for the last 12 months. We have created six verticals and four horizontals to make each business line profitable. We’re adopting IT through the IT 2.0 plan. For the first time, we’ve appointed a Chief Technology Officer in the postal department, along with Deputy CTOs for each vertical. We’re looking at our cost structure, comparing it with the competition, and figuring out how to increase revenue. By rationalising, automating, and focusing on each vertical, we’re preparing India Post to become a logistics powerhouse. No distribution platform in the world has as many points of presence as India Post—1,84,000. We want to convert this into a logistics giant in the coming days.
–IANS
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