Assam industries and commerce minister Chandra Mohan Patowary participated in a round table business meet with dignitaries at the backdrop of the third edition of ‘Emerging Northeast 2020’ in Guwahati on Thursday.
‘Emerging Northeast 2020’ is an exhibition on agro, rural and food industry organized by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre, Betkuchi.
The minister invited investors to take advantage of Assam’s strategic location and rich resources in the state and said the Government is aiming to turn Assam as the next investment destination.
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“Whenever you come to Assam, come with a vision to invest in South East Asia,” he said.
“The state being the gateway to ASEAN region, has a good connectivity network through Mongla and Chittagong Ports, Bangladesh and the sea route for the investors to explore and expand their business deals,” he added.
“A day will come when our domestic market will be surplus, then the market of over 80 crore population will be limitless for the investors,” Patowary also said.
During the roundtable meet, discussions were held on government initiatives and schemes for development of north-eastern region; opportunities for investment in various sectors like energy, services and infrastructure, food processing based on locally available resources, etc.
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Advocating that both government and investors require each other for economic development of the region, Patowary said, “Our interests are mutual, come forward and let us grow together.”
He requested the investors to submit proposals particularly for turning waste to wealth, food processing, cargo logistics etc.
The minister assured that the proposals would be studied by the Investment Cell of Industries and Commerce Department and the officials concerned would extend all help and support for turning their proposals into projects.
Manjula Saikia Bhuyan, secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Oinam Saran Kumar Singh, MD, AIDC; Perminder Kaur, regional director of ASSOCHAM, Dr Arun Kumar Sarma, director general, North East Centre For Technology Application And Reach (NECTAR); Ratan Nandan, assistant development commissioner, Falta SEZ; various industry representatives from companies like, Pepsico, PWC, SREI Group, JLL, Quippo Construction Equipment Limited, Geo Life Industries, Ajay Bio-Tech (India) Ltd, AlgaEnergy S.A. Start-ups etc participated in the meeting.