GUWAHATI, Nov. 3 -- Union minister for communications and development of north eastern region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday said that the policies by the Union government in the past 11 years have ensured that the north eastern region will be the engine of India's overall growth story. "The NE region would be the engine of India's growth... Today, the government at the Centre stands with you hand in hand to lead that development push forward," Scindia said in an address at IIT-Guwahati after inaugurating the North Eastern Science & Technology (NEST) cluster. The cluster marks a significant stride towards fostering a robust science and technology ecosystem in the region, aimed at driving innovation-led development. "The PM has named the northeastern states including Sikkim as Ashta Lakshmi (the eight manifestation of Goddess Lakshmi) of India. The vibrancy, the diversity, the capability that needs to be unleashed," Scindia said. "An area that for 65 years was known to be landlocked, but the PM has changed that paradigm from landlocked to land-linked. The NE region can become our bridge to the South East Asian region," he added. The Union minister said that the concept of "Act Eact, Act Fast, and Act First" has unleashed the capability and potential of the eight NE states. In the last 11 years, the region has undergone a complete metamorphosis in transportation, he said. Scindia said the region had around 10,000km of national highways for 65 years, but in the past 11 years alone another 6,500 km has been added. From just 9 airports in 65 years, the region now has 17 airports, the minister said....