Leveraging the Strategic Location for a Viksit Bharat
India’s vision of a Viksit Bharat calls for region-specific strategies that recognise the unique strengths of each part of the country. The North-East, with its strategic geographic location, stands at the crossroads of South and South-East Asia. As India deepens its economic engagement with neighbouring countries and expands its trade corridors, the region has the potential to emerge as a vital hub for connectivity, commerce, and cross-border collaboration.
The webinar series Public Policy Conversation: North-East brings together policy practitioners and experts to examine the opportunities and structural shifts required to fully realise this potential.
The first session, titled “Leveraging the Strategic Location of the North-East for a Viksit Bharat,” featured O.P. Agarwal, Former Joint Secretary (Urban Transport), Government of India, and Former CEO of the World Resources Institute.
The session took a wide-spectrum view of how infrastructure development, governance reforms, and institutional capacity-building can position the North-East as a key driver in India’s long-term growth journey.
Watch the live here:
About our Speaker
- O.P. Agarwal – Dr. O.P. Agarwal is a former Indian Administrative Service officer who has held several senior positions across the Government of India and the Government of Assam. He served as Joint Secretary (Training) in the Ministry of Personnel and Training (2000–2005) and Joint Secretary (Urban Transport) in the Ministry of Urban Development (2005–2006). In Assam, he has served as Secretary in the departments of Transport, Industries, Power, and Higher Education at different points in time. His experience across state and national institutions brings valuable perspective to discussions on regional development and strategic growth.