Northeast can be country's new growth engine: Assam CM

Sarbananda Sonowal calls upon NRIs to join hands with govt and be part of Assam's growth

Stating that the current industrial scenario in the state was peaceful and encouraging, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called upon the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) around the globe to join hands with the government of Assam for the growth of the state. He said Assam and the entire Northeast could become the new growth engines of the country.

Speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at Bengaluru on Sunday, Sonowal said that the future growth of India could come through Northeast and by “acting eastwards to Southeast Asia and East Asia through its Northeast region.”

“Assam’s locational disadvantage, insurgency and lack of enabling business environment were things of the past. The state has now been very peaceful and is absolutely safe for any business activities,” he said.

“The entire industrial ecosystem is investment friendly, supportive and accommodating. State’s industrial base is spread across a wide spectrum of industries in petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilisers, textile, cement, paper and hosts of services,” he added.

Stating that Assam was going through a massive transformation in every sector, from infrastructure to reforms to land policy to good governance, Sonowal said the Assam government would soon set up an ‘Act East Department’ to explore the vast opportunities lying across the border in the international neighbourhood.

Speaking about Assam’s unique locational advantage in the age of regional economic cooperation, Sonowal said the State was the gateway to the vibrant economies of the South-east Asian countries. 

“Assam is rapidly emerging as a strategic base for foreign and domestic investors to tap its vast potential. Assam’s location in combination with its rich natural resources and skilled manpower provide a natural backdrop for promising business”, Sonowal said.

He added: “Assam is connected to all major cities of the country through East-West corridor, air and rail network. Assam has highest numbers of airport density in the country with the international airport at Guwahati. The waterway no. 1 through the river Brahmaputra provides access to sea ports of Kolkata and Bangladesh. The proposed Trans-Asian Railway and Trans-Asian Highway will further improve the connectivity with most of the countries under BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations).”

The Assam government, said Sonowal, proposed to develop Guwahati as a business hub. “We are planning to set up a global business centre in Guwahati so that national and multinational companies can set up their offices and spread out from here”, he said.

He also proposed to hold a Global Business Summit in Guwahati in the month of November 2017 and invited the diaspora who have rich experience of new technologies, systems, knowledge and work culture at the global level with a deep understanding of local issues.