Assam investment summit close with Rs 100,000 cr investment proposals

The two-days Global Investors Summit here ended on Sunday with signing of more than 200 MoUs entailing an investment of more than Rs 100,000 crore, officials said.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal urged the business community to be the trusted, committed and honest partner of his government. 

"We have miles to go and I request the industry captains to forge stronger ties with us. Our relationship with you is not only a business relationship, it is more of a humanitarian relationship and I assure you to ensure full cooperation and support in all the initiatives," he said while adding that summit is a way forward to strengthen ties between Assam and ASEAN and BBN countries.

"We want to have a full-fledged relationship with ASEAN and BBN in different fields including people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges. I appeal ASEAN to start flight services to Guwahati as well as setting up their respective offices here," he saod.

He also expressed his gratitude to all sections of the people of Assam and outside as well all the stakeholders for their unconditional support in making the first-ever Global Investors Summit taglined "Advantage Assam"- India's Expressway to ASEAN a grand success.

Union Electronics & IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad termed the summit as a manifestation of the Prime Minister's vision of Team India and the transformation of Northeast into "new engine of growth" of the country.

"If Prime Minister Narendra Modi is termed as the captain of Team India, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will be the undisputed choice for the slot of opening batsman," he said while reiterating centre's commitment to strengthen the region's position as the centre of India's economic cooperation with ASEAN and BBN nations.

"Advantage Assam is not only for Assam and the northeastern states, it is a powerful message to the ASEAN and BBN nations of India's keen interest to boost bilateral ties," he added.

Announcing a series of initiatives in the IT sector, the minister informed setting up five BPOs in different towns of Assam including Kokrajhar, Nagaon, Silchar, Majuli and Diphu. Another 1,000 seater BPO would also come up in Guwahati apart from the already functioning three BPOs.

Stating that the union government is very keen to transform Assam and the NE as the Electronic Hub of the country, he said that the central government would extend all support in setting up of mobile manufacturing unit in the Electronic Cluster, which is to be operational under the Tech City, the foundation stone of which was laid on Sunday as an outcome of the summit.

Besides, several new initiatives were also ceremonially launched by Prasad which include opening of National Internet Exchange of India and Centre of Excellence for Applications Security at NIC.