PM Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Sela Tunnel in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. He also virtually flagged off the first convoy through the tunnel.

Along with it, he also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several development projects worth about Rs 55,600 crore in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh.

The Prime Minister had laid the foundation of Sela Tunnel in 2019. It is the world’s longest bi-lane tunnel at 13,000 feet, and consists of two tunnels and a link road. It is aimed at providing all-weather connectivity to the Tawang region.

Addressing the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Northeast’ programme in Itanagar, the PM reiterated the government’s commitment to make Northeast the growth engine of India.

“Our vision is that of ‘Ashta Lakshmi’ for the development of the Northeast. Our Northeast is becoming a strong link for trade and tourism with South Asia and East Asia,” said PM Modi.

“From independence till 2014, around 10,000 km of National Highway was constructed in the Northeast. However, in the last 10 years, more than 6,000 km of National Highway has been constructed in the Northeast. I completed the work of seven decades in just one…,” the PM said.

PM Modi also said that the government has introduced UNNATI Yojana for encouraging development of industries in the Northeast.