Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the state government is working to remove all constraints for industry to invest in Assam. He further stated that in order to attract more industry to the state, the government is going to talk with each investor and evolve specific approaches for each investment.

Addressing the ‘FICCI National Executive Committee Meeting’, the Chief Minister said that in the last few years we are moving away from inflexible policy towards a Customized Investment Policy. The requirement of every industry is different and whenever an investor wants to set up an industry in Assam, the Empowered Committee takes a decision about industry’s requirement, which is cleared by the Cabinet.”

 Dr Sarma further stated that the government has a clear roadmap for the development of Assam. “Transparency is the hallmark of our administration. We want to increase our capital investments, we need to work a lot in the health and education segment which is our prime focus along with improving the infrastructure,” he added.

Inviting the private sector to come forward and invest in the state, the Chief Minister said that we have seen huge capital investments by the Union government in the North-Eastern region. “We are now thinking more and more in terms of capital investment, connectivity. We are going ahead with our big vision of transforming Assam as a growth engine for India. In next 3 years, Assam will be at par with any other advanced Indian state,” he added.

The Chief Minister also stated that for the first time FICCI is holding its National Executive Committee Meeting in Guwahati which is a huge endorsement of Assam’s emergence as an attractive investment destination.

 K Moses Chalai, Secretary, North Eastern Council while addressing the session ‘Connecting India’s North-East to the World’, described the rapid changes in north eastern states. “It is time that we seize all opportunities that are coming, and I see Industry 4.0 can pick up very well in the region. The Northeast region is much more open to investments unlike in the past. It is an opportune time for FICCI and other industries to give a renewed look to the Northeast,” he added.

 Hiroshi Suzuki, Ambassador, Embassy of Japan, said: “The deep sea Matarbari port in Bangladesh funded by JICA will be operational by 2027 and be a gamechanger for the entire region to connect North Eastern states to sea ports. One of the key pillars of Prime Minister Kishida is the new industrial value chain in the Bay of Bengal. India is the top recipient of Japan's official development assistance. Our PM wants to connect various projects of JICA and reach out to friends in India and Bangladesh. Through our cooperation between the three countries, we will be able to build a new industrial value chain.”

 Subhrakant Panda, President, FICCI, said that Assam is not just the largest economy of the region but plays a crucial role in the development of this region. It has a pivotal position in India’s Act East Policy which has been one of the fulcrums of our foreign policy. “The State’s GSDP has grown at nearly 12 per cent in the last decade and advance estimates indicate an astounding 19.52 per cent growth in FY 2023 while per capita income is expected to grow by 15 per cent,” he added.

 Harsha Vardhan Agarwal, Vice President, FICCI and Vice Chairman and MD, Emami Limited, said that under the guidance of the Chief Minister, Assam’s economy will continue to prosper. He also assured FICCI’s complete support in all the development efforts of the State and the people of Assam.

 Ranjit Barthakur, Chair, FICCI North-East Advisory Council and Chairman, Globally Managed Services, said that Assam needs new investment in various sectors and urged the industry to support the state government to forge ahead even more in times to come. /BI/