Assam is India's ‘strategic gateway to Southeast Asia’: MoS Pabitra Margherita
Pabitra Margherita told the Rajya Sabha that Assam is being positioned as a trade and connectivity gateway to Southeast Asia under the Act East Policy. He linked this push to investment outreach, cross-border infrastructure and growing engagement with ASEAN partners.
- Aug 13, 2026,
- Updated Aug 13, 2026, 6:47 PM IST
- Margherita told Rajya Sabha the Northeast offers India's shortest overland ASEAN link
- Advantage Assam summit and Kuala Lumpur roadshow pitched trade-focused investment sectors
- Assam and Singapore signed a nursing skills pact linked to jobs
Assam is being positioned as a key trade and connectivity gateway to Southeast Asia under the Centre’s Act East Policy, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita told the Rajya Sabha on August 13.
Replying to an unstarred question from BJP MP Jogen Mohan, Margherita said the Northeast, including Assam, offers India the “shortest overland connectivity to ASEAN” and has a key role in expanding trade, transport, tourism, energy cooperation and people-to-people ties with the region.
He cited the Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment & Infrastructure Summit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Guwahati in February 2025, as a major initiative to promote the state as India’s “Expressway to ASEAN”.
A follow-up roadshow in Kuala Lumpur highlighted investment opportunities in sectors including semiconductors, logistics, cross-border trade and tourism infrastructure, the minister said.
Margherita also pointed to growing cooperation between Assam and Singapore. One of the key outcomes of the Advantage Assam summit was an MoU on “Nursing Talent Skills Cooperation”, aimed at strengthening nursing skills and creating employment opportunities.
The minister further cited the first commercial export of GI-tagged Tezpur litchis to Singapore in June 2026 as an example of Assam’s growing economic engagement with ASEAN countries.
On connectivity, Margherita said the government was continuing to prioritise the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and other multi-modal infrastructure projects under the Act East Policy.
He added that Lines of Credit had been extended to Bangladesh, with projects being implemented to improve cross-border connectivity through Assam.
Assam’s engagement with Singapore also extends to urban development. The state government signed an MoU with Singapore in 2023 to promote cooperation in urban planning and sustainable development in Guwahati.
The response came against questions on new Act East Policy initiatives benefiting Assam, the possibility of developing the state as a trade gateway to Southeast Asia, and infrastructure projects aimed at improving regional connectivity.
The Centre’s focus on ASEAN ties comes amid a wider push to deepen India’s engagement with Southeast Asia. On August 8, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar marked the 59th ASEAN Day by reaffirming India’s commitment to expanding cooperation with the regional bloc in connectivity, trade, digital links, resilient supply chains, defence, education and cultural exchanges.
Jaishankar had also co-chaired the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with India in Manila in July, where India and ASEAN discussed strengthening their partnership and cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.
