Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog organized the Regional AIM SUMVAAD–North East Chapter 2026 in Guwahati, Assam, bringing together policymakers, state governments, industry leaders, academia, incubators, and startup ecosystem enablers to chart a collaborative roadmap for innovation-led growth across the eight Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. The conclave focused on the Northeast's emergence as India's gateway to Southeast Asia and its rich biodiversity, vibrant cultural heritage, bamboo resources, traditional crafts, and growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Dr. Joram Aniya, Member of NITI Aayog, served as Chief Guest and reiterated the Prime Minister's vision of the Northeast as 'Ashta Lakshmi'—eight states with unique strengths contributing to India's growth story. She highlighted NITI Aayog's sustained engagement with all eight Chief Ministers and significant investments in infrastructure, connectivity, and economic development under the 'Act East to Act Fast' approach. Deepak Bagla, Mission Director of AIM, emphasized transforming this vision into opportunity by nurturing innovators, strengthening incubation ecosystems, and enabling young entrepreneurs to build solutions from the Northeast for India and the world.
The conclave featured roundtable discussions with representatives from all eight North Eastern State Councils, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Atal Incubation Centres, and Atal Community Innovation Centres on mobilizing innovation ecosystem stakeholders. Thematic sessions focused on sectors with competitive advantages: Dr. Tilak Chandra Bhuyan discussed commercializing bamboo and bio-resource value chains; Minha Riyaz Khan highlighted technology-enabled sustainable eco-tourism opportunities; and Dr. Sriparna Bhuyan Baruah addressed strengthening grassroots livelihoods through innovation in traditional handloom and handicraft clusters.
Incubation ecosystem development was another key focus, with a panel moderated by Rachita Misra featuring Col. Prabir Sengupta (IIT Guwahati), Roshan Farhan (MyriadAI and Gobillion), Moirangthem Seth (SNL Energy Solutions), and Prateek Deshmukh (AIM) discussing strategies for building resilient incubation ecosystems. Another panel moderated by Dr. Tej Chingtham explored unlocking finance, corporate partnerships, and market linkages with Ashish Agarwal (HDFC Bank), Pranta Pratim Singha (Numaligarh Refinery Limited), Siddhartha P. Lahkar (NEDFi), and Kautilya Basumatary (Tata Foundation) participating.
The program concluded with a session on building resilient innovation ecosystems moderated by Rachita Misra, featuring Fazle Illahi (ERES) and Seyielezo Putsure (EduCentre), followed by a vote of thanks from Prateek Deshmukh. This marked the strategically significant North East chapter of the SUMVAAD series following previous engagements in North, South, Central, and East regions.