International Conference Purvodaya Perspectives - 2025
13 - 14 December, 2025
Hotel Swosti Premium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Concept Note
Purvodaya which is a transformative initiative of the Government of India has emerged as a major policy plank for the development of the resources in the rich Eastern States of India with its history, culture and maritime outreach that had once dominated the eastern sea flank. In 2016, Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi coined the word Purvodaya or re-emergence of the east with a vision to emphasize growth and development of the eastern region of India. Hon'ble Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan had also echoed the purvodaya concept and said “Sun always rises from the eastern part of the world”. In July 2024, the Hon'ble Finance Minister, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman announced the ‘Purvodaya’ Plan in her Union Budget speech with emphasis on human resource development, infrastructure, and generation of economic opportunities for the Purvodaya states so as to enable them to contribute to Vikshit Bharat. This year also in the budget speech the Finance Minister announced the establishment of National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management in Bihar as part of Purvodaya initiative. A number of plans have been enumerated to develop the eastern part of the country. It is important to note that historically Purvodaya states, especially Odisha with a rich maritime culture of over millenium initiated not just trade but also cultural contacts with South East Asian countries. The imprint of culture is very much reflected in Angkor Vat in Cambodia, influence of Ramayana, Buddhism, Sanskrit, art and architecture in several countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam are very much visible in this cross-cultural fertilisation. Immigration to these countries over the period of time has led to enrichment of cultural linkages that flourished over the centuries. As a part of the Purvodaya Plan, the Government of India decided to showcase Odisha in 2024 which was the venue for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas with a view to encourage the diaspora to invest in that state. In January this year PM Modi inaugurated the flagship Global Investment Summit in Bhubaneswar as a part of Purvodaya Initiative.
India’s Act East policy becomes relevant when one talks of economic transformation of these states through several connectivity projects which will help them to leverage their market through access to nearest ports and other regional markets that are proximate. It would not only preserve existing cultural linkages but rejuvenate economic ties through such connectivity projects. Port led development, blue economy, SAGAR which has now expanded to Mahasagar are some of the initiatives that would help the Purvodaya states to play a lead role in expanding India’s maritime connectivity and revitalise the cultural and historical ties which forms the foundation of relationship.
The government's emphasis on connectivity – rail, road and waterways, coupled with digital connectivity has transformed India’s economic life and has recast how India looks at economic transformation. North East is a pivot in this policy of Purvodaya going forward. For the Purvodaya region states India’s connectivity with Bangladesh, Myanmar and beyond to South East Asia remains important for the region’s economic development. The Hon'ble Home Minister, Govt. of India, speaking in the 72nd plenary session of the North East Council meeting said, “the government's mantra has been “Act East, Act Fast, and Act First”. North East’s strategic location and proximity to South East Asia and its rich natural resources makes it a gateway. Along with the North East, the eastern part of India that shares a long coast line with historical maritime connectivity makes India’s Act East policy relevant – a policy that has the potential to turn around the relationship to an economically meaningful one with a deep cultural mooring.
In this context the government's much awaited Trilateral Highway of India-Myanmar-Thialand highway is yet to be completed due to the situation in Myanmar even though 70 per cent of the work is finished. This trilateral highway has the potential to be expanded eastward to connect Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The 1800 kms Stilwell road or the Ledo Road connecting Assam through Myanmar to Kunming in China can be revived for connecting the North East region of Myanmar. Constructed during World War II, this road is in dilapidated condition but can be improved for connectivity from India to Northern Myanmar.
The Ministry of road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) has approved construction of 166.8-km-long, 4-lane, high-speed corridor along National Highway-6 from Mawlyngkhung near Shillong in Meghalaya to Panchgram near Silchar in Assam to provide connectivity to North East. Further multimodal connectivity from Kolkata port to North east states like Mizoram, through Sittewe port in Myanmar and Kaladan river to Aizawl, will be operational by 2027 as said by the Union shipping minister Shri Sonowal. A road from Zorinpui will connect Aizwal in Mizoram with the rest of the north-east. This new route will help the region to connect India to Myanmar.
The Bay of Bengal serves as a strategic link of the Indo-Pacific. China's access to the Bay of Bengal through the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port in the Rakhine state makes it strategically significant for China to access the Indian Ocean and overcome its Malacca Strait dilemma. China has also invested in the China Myanmar Economic Corridor. One fourth of the world's trade passes through the Bay of Bengal and Malacca strait which remains a vital sea lane of communication. Given the centrality of Bay of Bengal in the Indo-Pacific region, it has the potential of emerging as a new geo-strategic hotspot as the US is trying to expand its influence in the region. The recent example is the lifting of sanctions on Myanmar. The littoral states of Bay of Bengal are members of regional and subregional organisations that have the potential to transform the region. For example, Free Trade Agreements (FTA) like the BIMSTEC FTA, the ASEAN FTA and the proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) are some of the initiatives which reveal meaningful economic interaction among the littorals as well as wider Indo-Pacific region, are being envisaged.
In this context several connectivity projects that are being implemented by countries of the region hold promises of seamless transport and communication through multi-modal connectivity projects. These rail, road and inland waterway along with the ports abutting Bay of Bengal in the eastern part of India like Kolkata, Haldia, Dhamra, Paradeep, Gopalpur, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai etc. have the potential in furthering trade between India and other countries of the region. The Japanese built Matarbari deep sea port in Bangladesh is also projected as a regional hub for trade for India’s North East, Nepal and Bhutan.
Purvodaya perspective is an annual international conference organised by The Energy Forum(TEF), New Delhi that brings together policy makers, academics, stakeholders to debate, discuss and brainstorm various issues that confront the Purvodaya states. This conference is the third in a series. Taking into account the issue that confronts these states which are rich in mineral resources and boast historical maritime tradition, the focus of this year would be how to leverage the connectivity potential of these states to emerge as important stakeholders in India’s external trade and emerge as major stakeholders of Vikshit Bharat. The conference will discuss the potential of Bay of Bengal in India’s policy towards Indo Pacific, leveraging regional and subregional organisations, advancing cooperation in the blue economy, sustainable development and transformation to green economy. In this context the following questions would require deep deliberation.