Guwahati looked like a bride with the cleaned and illuminating street-roads, spectacular hoardings and gardening of public points welcoming the national and international guests for a major investors’ summit in the historic city. For the first time, the virtual capital of north-east India organised the Global Investors’ Summit, 2018 under the campaign of Advantage Assam from February 3 to 4 and received promises for investment to the tune of rupees one lakh crore.
The Summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the presence of Bhutan Premier Dasho Tshering Tobgay, his Foreign Minister Lyonpo Damcho Dorji and Economic Affairs Minister Lyonpo Lekey Dorji, Bangladesh Industry Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Myanmar Commerce Minister Dr Than Myint, Cambodia Tourism Minister Dr Thong Khon, Laos Information, Culture & Tourism Minister Ounethoang Khaophanh with Assam Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi, State Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Assam Ministers Chandra Mohan Patowary, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, etc with luminaries of Indian business fraternity.
Delivering the inaugural speech Prime Minister Shri Modi said in the Centre’s Act East Policy, Assam along with other north-eastern states has occupied an epicentre of India’s relations with ASEAN and BBN countries. Commenting that with the successful holding of the important summit Assam would usher in a new chapter of economic prosperity, Modi hailed the initiative of CM Sonowal and his team. He also added that the Centre had pitched for transformation of Northeast through transportation and vowed to build 4000 km of national highways in the region. The Railways are investing rupees 5300 crore every year for the expansion of rail network and under PMGSY all the villages would be connected through motorable roads and same would be completed by 2019. The Prime Minister commented that for a new India, a balanced development of Northeast is of paramount importance. He also emphasised on connecting the region with National Gas Grid.
Referring to Assam’s legendary singer Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s priceless composition of ‘Agnijugar Firingoti Moi Notun Asom Gahim…’ through which Bhupen Da dreamt of making a developed Assam, PM Modi stated that the Advantage Assam initiative would usher in resurgent Assam and would make help to make Assam of Dr Hazarika’s dream. Bhutan PM Tobgay while speaking on the occasion said that the diplomatic relations between Bharat and Bhutan started way back in January 1968, have entered in the golden jubilee year as both the countries are working in tandem for strengthening their bilateral relations. Acknowledging the strategic location of Assam, Tobgay said that his country would be benefitted greatly from the prosperity of Assam.
Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal elaborated that the Summit would reposition Assam as a State with immense potential, prosperity and possibility. Terming it a humble beginning, Shri Sonowal put forward an array of diverse sectors especially agriculture, bamboo, tourism and organic sector for investment. He thanked Bhutanese PM Tobgay for taking the initiatives of starting direct flight services between India, Bhutan and Singapore.
Speaking on the occasion, Century Plyboard managing director Sajjan Bhajanka declared that his company would invest rupees 6,400 crore in Assam. Spice Jet chairman cum managing director Ajay Singh assured that his carrier would very shortly introduce flight services to Jorhat and Lakhimpur. Moreover, SpiceJet would also start flight services from Guwahati to other southeast Asian countries, he added.
Acharya Balakrishna from Patanjali Group of products informed that his company was heavily investing in food processing in the State. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani assured that his company would invest Rs 2.5 thousand crore for petrol pumps, Jio offices in all 155 circle headquarters, creation of livelihood opportunities, and setting up of a football academy in Assam. Japanese ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu, FICCI president Rashesh Shah, Sun Pharma top official Dilip Shanghvi, Tata Sons managing director N. Chandrasekharan also addressed the gathering.
The first day of the Summit witnessed the signing of 160 MoUs worth Rs 60,000 crore in presence of CM Sonowal. Oil India Limited committed to invest Rs 10,000 crore, Indo-UK Institute of Health Rs 2,700 crore, Infinity Group Rs 1,000 crore during the summit. Medanta group put their proposal of Rs 500 crore investing in the healthcare sector. Essel Infra group, Dalmia Bharat Cement also shared their proposal for investment.
The summit closed with the signing of total over 245 MoUs with an investment of more than rupees one lakh crore. Addressing the closing ceremony CM Sonowal thanked everyone for the successful holding of the pioneer event. In presence of Union Ministers Ravishankar Prasad, KJ Alphonse & Gohain, State ministers Dr Sarma, Patowary & Atul Bora along with a host of Parliamentarians, Legislators and other dignitaries, Sonowal commented that Assam has miles to go but he would continue the government endeavour for making the State a peaceful, prosperous and progressive one. *
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