New Delhi, January 7 (IANS). Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday contacted ambassadors, foreign investors in New Delhi and invited them to participate in the “Advantage Assam 2.0: Investment and Infrastructure Summit” to be held in February.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa urged ambassadors, high commissioners, industry heads and other stakeholders from ASEAN, BIMSTEC, European and other countries to come and invest in Assam.
Addressing diplomats from 36 countries, industry leaders and other stakeholders, Chief Minister Sarma said the state of Assam has been making rapid progress in infrastructure, health, education and other sectors in the last 10 years.
He informed that new infrastructure projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore are coming up in the state, which include three more new bridges on Brahmaputra, a satellite city around Guwahati with the help of Singapore government, railway line from Guwahati to Gelephu in Bhutan etc.
Underlining the importance of green energy, Chief Minister Sarma said that the government’s emphasis has always been on clean and green energy and renewable energy. The government wants all industries coming up in Assam to get their power from green energy sources, including the Tata Semiconductor plant in Jagiroad.
Estimating the strong and robust economy of the state, CM Sarma said that Assam is one of the strongest growth engines of the country, growing at the rate of 12.5 per cent. He said apart from a strong economy, the state is also an educational hub with prestigious institutions, including IITs, AIIMS, IIMs, Indian Institute of Technology, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Central Universities, Agricultural Universities and projects like NIELIT University Campus.
He said Assam has the required skills and ability to deliver results. This is a means to ensure that those wishing to invest get the same incentives as in other states of the country.
In this sequence, the Chief Minister revealed that the government will create a fund of Rs 25,000 crore for production-linked incentives to bring rapid industrialization in the state. “Come and be a partner in the development story of Assam,” he said.
Sarma said his government is in discussion with the Defense Ministry to declare the areas adjacent to Guwahati towards Nagaon as a defense corridor.
The Chief Minister said that the government has laid great emphasis on skill development and 10,000 youth are being skilled through the North-East Skill Centre.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving top priority to the development of the North-Eastern region, the Chief Minister said that it is Prime Minister Modi who has named the North-East as the ‘Growth Engine of India’ and ‘Ashtalakshmi’.
Sarma also discussed in detail the success of conservation of Kaziranga and Manas National Parks as well as conservation of natural resources and rich heritage.
The Chief Minister appealed to diplomats to visit Assam on February 24, a day before the Advantage Assam Summit 2.0, to watch the Jhumur dance performed by 8,000 dancers. This is an event which will also be witnessed by the Prime Minister and other dignitaries.
“I appeal to you to come on February 24 to watch the Jhumur dance to feel the cultural vibrancy and youth of Assam,” he said.
During the investors’ roundtable conference, the Chief Minister said that Assam is the most peaceful state in the country, where the crime rate is declining drastically. He said that projects are being progressed rapidly with ease of doing business and single window approvals. We are moving very fast on the infrastructure and industrial fronts. He said that Tata’s semi-conductor plant to be set up at Jagiroad will produce 48 million chips per day. At the same time, with the commencement of gas extraction and connection under the National Gas Grid, transportation of gas is no longer a problem.
Jaideep Majumdar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs said that Assam is no longer a ‘lahe lahe’ (slow moving) country and is rapidly moving forward on the path of development.
Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and FICCI North East Advisory Council (NEAC) Chairman Ranjit Barthakur participated in the meeting and interaction with diplomats, industry leaders and investors. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also participated in this conference.
The day-long event for Advantage Assam Summit 2.0 began with a round table discussion with bilateral chambers and trade associations.
Chief Secretary Ravi Kota delivered the keynote address, while AIDC Limited MD Manvendra Pratap Singh gave a presentation on Advantage Assam 2.0.
–IANS
AKS/CBT
