Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas in the Northeastern part of India, with the majestic River Brahmaputra flowing across – Assam, which until now known for its tea and petroleum industry, is soon also going to be known for its semiconductor electronic products, further becoming an industrial powerhouse contributing to nation building.
To start with, the first oil discovery in Asia and the oldest running oil refinery in the world is situated at Digboi in Assam, and the state also contributes to more than 50 per cent of India’s total tea production, amongst other major things.
During India’s independence, Assam’s per capita state GDP (GSDP) was higher than that of the national average, making it a contributor state then. Although with time and political negligence for this region, Assam soon missed the bus for further growth becoming a dependent state, and the people also felt alienated by the rest of mainland India.
In the 1980’s, the influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh created a major demographic instability across the state, with significant protests all over. A movement from the masses had risen, led by students. In 1985, a breakthrough was reached with the Assam Accord agreement being signed, to protect and promote the interests of the indigenous people. However, certain factions took up arms against the state establishment, making the growth suffer further. Many people and businesses had left the state to find stability. The state lost 30 years due to the armed insurgency, and countless opportunities amidst this.
In 2014, after Narendra Modi became the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, the Northeast found a renewed sense of hope and leadership in him. PM Modi understood the geographic importance of this region, and chose to holistically integrate this region and its people to the mainstream, through comprehensive policy initiatives and peace agreements, further taken forward by his extensive personal visits.
Further, with the new state government coming into charge in Assam in 2016, there was now a two-fold effort from the centre and state leadership, to take this region to greater heights. With the initiatives of the previous Chief Minister – Sri Sarbananda Sonowal, and now the
extensive foundational groundwork laid out by the current Chief Minister – Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the state has been able to clock in a growth rate (CAGR) of 12.6% for the GSDP in the past decade, while still losing 3 years and crucial momentum to Covid. The state has also been able to achieve a remarkable 19% growth rate in the last fiscal year alone (AE), which is much higher than the national average in all terms.
In fact, when Dr Sarma became the CM in 2021, he had personally reached out to people and businesses who had left the state during the insurgency years, urging them to return in an effort to rebuild Assam, offering them an environment for growth and stability. These small initiatives from the leadership, often overlooked, created the strong foundation of trust required to kickstart the remaking of Assam’s growth story.
The dynamism and dedication of Dr Sarma, to pursue industry leaders to give Assam another opportunity, gave fruit when in early 2024 – Tata announced to set up a Semiconductor OSAT manufacturing plant in Assam, with an outlay of 27,000 Crores which would create 30,000 jobs. This high-tech IT industry, usually thought to be for southern Indian states, could never have been imagined by the people of Assam to be set up here, but it was happening. The floodgates had opened, and a new story was to be written. With such a major industry coming up, there was bound to be even more ancillary industries to come up here in the future. With the Tata brand name – came trust for the state, its administration, and its people, which other industries could also count on, and therefore, more was yet to come. The leadership and administration did not stop there, but pursued every avenue to bring other major players and industries into the state as well.
Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit – An event to bring all stakeholders under one roof was planned for end of Feb 2025, which Hon’ble Prime Minister himself graced, and emphasized Assam’s transformation, further urging industry leaders to invest in the state.
The Prime Minister has always highlighted the fact that Assam is not just the gateway to Northeast India, but the gateway to the whole of Southeast Asia, as can be seen from the government’s ‘Act East Policy’. PM Modi has visited Northeast more than 70 times, that is more than the combined visits of all previous Prime Ministers. And this is testament of his sheer commitment for the all-round development of this region, not just in physical and digital connectivity, but emotional connectivity.
In the run up to this summit, multiple meetings were held across the country’s major cities, and also in foreign countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, UK amongst others. A special initiative called ‘Assam Week’ was also organised by Indian embassies worldwide to promote Assam’s economic opportunities and cultural heritage.
On the eve of this summit, a mass cultural programme called ‘Jhumior Binandini’ was also held to commemorate 200 years of Assam tea, where 8000+ performers from 800 tea gardens set a world record by showcasing their rich tradition and cultural dance form.
The main summit also brought to Assam the foreign delegations, who saw our economic potential, cultural heritage and natural beauty – showing strong international interest in Assam. The event was also attended by various union ministers who announced major projects across the state, and reaffirmed Assam’s role as the growth engine of the Northeast.
The summit also saw an overwhelming participation from India’s industry captains, from heads business groups of Tata, Reliance, Adani, Vedanta, JSW, and many more in attendance, who were all extremely bullish on Assam’s vision plan and wanted be part of this growth story, all due to the leadership and stability provided by the central and state government. There were a total of 2,888 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed across all sectors.
The total investment commitments made from the private and public sector combined amounted to an astonishing 5.18 Lakh Crore Rupees (USD $60 Billion), which is roughly more than 80 per cent of the state’s GDP. With a geostrategic location, abundant natural and human resources – Assam has set on an ambitious plan to double the state’s economy from the current GSDP of USD $69 Billion in 2024, to USD $140 Billion by the year 2030.
Amongst the major project announcements were – A mega Urea fertilizer plant, Rail coach factory, Expressways, oil and gas exploration, underwater tunnel under Brahmaputra etc from the public sector. From the private sector – Tata announced another major investment to set up a mobile manufacturing unit, solar energy project; Reliance announced AI data centres, green-energy projects, Adani announced investments into airport, aerocity and other infrastructures; film-city, star hotels to boost rural tourism etc, with a host of announcements in all sectors by other private groups.
This investment confidence into Assam will be a watershed moment in the state’s history, and is going to completely transform the future of this region, and it is upon us how we encash this opportunity. Team Assam has put all hands on deck to make this a smooth event, and I hope we keep this momentum going. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone from the Prime Minister, Chief Minister and all individuals who are working towards this goal.
With immense job creation opportunities, the youth of the state will not have to go out in search for better jobs, they can find the same quality paying jobs here at home. The median age of the people of Assam is just 22.7 years, and with such a young population, our state can even serve as a human resource provider in times to come. However, the people should not just stop here and wait for jobs to come, rather use this prime opportunity to become the flag- bearers of job creation. There is immense opportunity in every sector, with policy incentives and financial assistance available. We should play our role in developing our state and contribute to nation building.
Although, I wonder where my state would have been if it hadn’t lost a good 30 years to insurgency. All I know is that now with God’s blessings – we have got one more opportunity – and we are not going to miss it this time. This is a new chapter unfolding for Assam, and we should do more than possible to materialize this at the earliest, and contribute towards bringing back the lost glory of Bharat’s economic prominence.
This is a true re-birth of Assam, and had to be for Maa Kamakhya’s land, for she has the power and energy to create and re-create from her yoni. From a Viksit Assam will come a Viksit Ashtlakshmi, for that will usher in a Viksit Bharat.
Come be a part of Assam’s growth story! Jai Hind! Jai Aai Axom!
