At the North East India Infrastructure Summit, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio invites investors to support Nagaland's growth.
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KOHIMA — Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday showcased the state's infrastructure priorities and invited development partners and industry leaders to invest in Nagaland while addressing the North East India Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition 2026 in Shillong.
The two-day summit aims to boost investment opportunities and infrastructure development across the Northeast region.
Addressing the inaugural session, Rio described Nagaland as one of the oldest states in the Northeast and shared that its development trajectory has been constrained by unique geographical, historical and structural challenges.
He stressed that infrastructure remains central to accelerating economic growth and improving service delivery.
The chief minister also highlighted the challenges posed by the state's unique landholding system, with most land being community-owned and protected under Article 371A.
"These safeguards are crucial, but must be balanced to address the challenges of land acquisition, infrastructure development and investment essential to the state's growth," he said.
Rio highlighted several major initiatives, including the proposed Ciethu Greenfield Airport for Kohima, the planned Nagaki City in Chümoukedima and the state's proposal for an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
He also underscored the importance of the Trans-Nagaland Highway (Foothill Road), describing it as a transformative project that will connect seven districts and more than 100 towns and villages, improve connectivity and unlock the state's economic potential.
"For Nagaland, connectivity is not merely an infrastructure issue, it is a development imperative. The Trans-Nagaland Highway has the potential to improve access to agriculture, horticulture and mineral-rich areas, create conditions for industrial growth, logistics hubs, tourism development and private sector investment," Rio said.
Referring to the recent tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Centre and the governments of Assam and Nagaland for petroleum exploration and development activities, Rio said that much of the prospective resource belt lies along the proposed Foothill Road and that robust transport infrastructure would be vital to fully realise its economic potential.
Inviting development partners and industry leaders to invest in Nagaland, he called for greater collaboration to support the state's development journey towards Viksit Bharat @2047.
The summit brought together representatives from the eight north-eastern states, Union ministries, investment groups, policymakers and exhibitors.
It was organised by the Federation of Industry and Commerce of North Eastern Region in collaboration with the Meghalaya government and the Build India Foundation.