Skip to content Skip to navigation

ASEAN key to economic prosperity: Patowary

The Centre for South East Asian Studies (CSEAS) of the Gauhati University organised the 25th Anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership at BKB Auditorium on Friday. The conference was attended by State Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, Vice Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Laos, Savankhone Razmountry, Ambassador of Laos to India, Southam Sakonhninhom and members of ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC).

Patowary said that Assam is not the periphery, but at the centre of South East Asia and is the expressway of the Act East Policy. ‘If not today, but tomorrow, the Western market will be bound to look at the big consumer market of 630 million population of South East Asia, waiting to be explored.’

Patowary further stated that responding to the recently held road shows at Toronto, New York and London, foreign investors have expressed their willingness to invest in the state. The Minister also took the opportunity to formally invite the dignitaries at the upcoming Global Investors’ Summit to be held at Guwahati in February, 2018 and requested them to bring along a strong delegation to pitch in investment opportunities in Assam.

Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University, Dr Mridul Hazarika stated that the people of Assam and Laos are linked historically and culturally. The VC said that the true sense of education exchanges is through such dialogue among the South East Asian nations and hoped that the Centre of South East Asian Studies would thrive for more people-to-people contact with the neighbouring countries.

In his welcome address, Prof Nani Gopal Mahanta said that based on the MoU between the CSEAS and Laos National University, five students from Laos will undergo a three-month source in Computer Science and Information Technology at GU.

Vice-Minister, Laos, Savankhone Razmountry said that ASEAN and India has commonality in terms of its diversity. ASEAN is a strong community and it needs a good friend like India to resolve all issues so that all its member nations benefit for peaceful coexistence.

Ambassador Southam Sakonhninhom said, ‘ASEAN is celebrating its 50th anniversary of glorious existence and today is the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership. Food-processing, bamboo, handicrafts are some of the potential sectors for mutual trade and commerce activities.’

Delivering the Special Lecture, Chairman of AIBC, Dato’ Ramesh Kodammal said, ‘ASEAN is the 6th world’s largest economy after the US, China, Japan, Germany and the UK, and it aims to become the 4th largest economy by 2035. India and ASEAN have set a target of 100 billion dollar trade by 2020. There is a huge potential for investments in service sector, textiles, tourism, energy and Information and Communication Technology.’

Entrepreneur Habib Choudhury from Hojai, Assam who built an agarwood empire at Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) also dealt on furthering Indo-ASEAN economic ties.

Author info

AT News Guwahati's picture

Add new comment

Random Stories

Cabinet rejig by Thursday

5 Aug 2017 - 9:59pm | AT News
After months of will-he-wont-he, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal pulls up his sleeves to expand his cabinet axing three of his colleages to pave the way for atleast seven others by Thursday....

Assam violence: Opp pin blame on govt

25 Oct 2008 - 3:44am | editor
The Opposition parties on Friday sharply pinned down both Delhi and Dispur in Parliament for failing to deal with the communal riot that claimed atleast 55 people in lower Assam district of Darrang...

Peace, Unity, Development top priority and reality in NE region - PM

28 Apr 2022 - 9:08pm | Nanda Kirati Dewan
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi addressed a ‘Peace, Unity and Development Rally at Longrithep, Diphu in Karbi Anglong Autonomous Teritorial Council (KAATC) on Thursday. During the programme, he...

Khandu to expand cabinet on Wednesday

2 Aug 2016 - 11:47am | AT News Itanagar
Arunachal Pradesh cabinet is going to expand on Wednesday, July 3 at Raj Bhawan, Itanagar.

Other Contents by Author

Guwahati: Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) expresses profound grief at the demise of Agra based senior journalist Pankaj Kulashrestha with Covid-19 complications. The forum announces Kulashrestha, who tested positive for novel corona virus, as the second Indian media martyr in the fight against corona outbreak after Bengal photojournalist Ronny Roy. Kulashrestha (50) was associated with a prominent Hindi daily newspaper and succumbed to corona complications on the night of 7 May 2020 in a local hospital. The authority has already quarantined the office, where the brave media warrior used to work and taken samples from every one for screening of the deadly virus. The soft-spoken scribe left...
Guwahati: Northeast Futsal League (NEFL) is being played in NC Bordoloi Indoor , Sarusajai Guwahati, Assam. It is India’s first-ever mixed-gender futsal league, which will feature six teams in total, will be played over a period of seven days (25th-31th August, 2019). In the third match of the ongoing North East Futsal league presently going on in Guwahati, Apurba Manipur drew with Assam Titans in a 2-2 draw. While the Scorers for Manipur were Md Shah Jahan and Md Yasir, Atlanta Basumatary and Arman Singha netted the ball for Assam. In the other match between Mizo falcons vs Meghalaya Thunders, Mizoram won by a handsome margin of five goals. All the matches will be streamed online on...
Guwahati: Northeast Futsal League (NEFL) is being played in NC Bordoloi Indoor , Sarusajai Guwahati, Assam. It is India’s first-ever mixed-gender futsal league, which will feature six teams in total, will be played over a period of seven days (25th-31th August, 2019). In the first match, Arunachal showed a comprehensive performance to snacth a win against Meghalaya Thunders, Paula Boza Gil from Spain playing for Arunachal becomes 1st female player of the league to score, she scored both the goals.Francis was the lone scorer for Meghalaya as the Match ended in a 2-1 win for Arunachal. In the second match Mizo Falcons won against Apunba Manipur 3-2. For Mizo Falcons their captain Alan...
Guwahati: India and Afghanistan have maintained historically close ties fruitful for both nations. But political disturbances in Pakistan, located in between, poses difficulties for the Indo-Afghan bilateral relationship, observed senior Afghan radio journalist Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar while interacting with city based scribes on Sunday (3 March). He was participating in Guwahati Press Club's 'Meet the Press' programme through video conferencing from Kabul. However, these difficulties are short lived and both the friendly nations soon revert to business as usual. Regarding the present Indo-Pak standoff and the volatile situation in Kashmir, Khalvatgar asserted that the Indian government...
The annual cultural festival of IIT Guwahati, Alcheringa, in its 23rd incarnation has been scheduled in the fine winter season of January and February, from 31st January to 3rd February. This edition of Alcheringa is showing a promising start to grow more and more. Along with the entertainment and events, Alcheringa takes pride in showcasing it’s social responsibility by launching a range of campaigns from “Udaan” for underprivileged people to “North-East Unveiled” with the aim of spreading the culture, tradition and Beauty of North-east countrywide. Besides the awesome Pronites line up which have seen the likes of Sonu Nigam, Mohit Chauhan, Mika, Vishal-Shekhar at this cultural festival...
Guwahati: The city based scribes maintain good health as most of them have performed well in a recent blood screening camp conducted by Assam’s celebrated healthcare institute Dispur Hospitals. Nearly 80 scribes, age limit from 30 to 60 years, participated in the free camp, where their blood samples were collected to test thyroid, haemoglobin and sugar. Only 11 scribes were diagnosed with high thyroid stimulating hormone (more than 7 milli-international units per liter or mIU/L), where four participants were with low haemoglobin (less than 12 gm/dl) and five with high random blood sugar (more than 140 mg/dl), said a statement from Guwahati Press Club, where the camp was organized last week...
GUWAHATI: Tasked with protecting wildlife, foresters often try to cover up their inefficiency and corruption by terrorizing indigenous people inhabiting areas near forests. But without taking these people into confidence, it is impossible to preserve forests and wildlife. Expanding on this issue, Sophie Grigg, Senior Research and Advocacy Officer, Survival International, said that merely arming forest guards with sophisticated weaponry actually complicates the conservation effort. She was addressing city-based scribes from London through video conferencing as part of Guwahati Press Club’s ‘Meet the Press’ programme. Referring to Kaziranga national park, Ms Grigg however claimed that while a...
Guwahati: Journalism is a service to society and the nation. Anyone wanting to make money should not be in the profession. Only those who have the flair, the passion and the right attributes should enter, for only such people can take on the challenges and survive in the long run,” said Sashi Nair, Director of the Press Institute of India and Editor of its journals, Vidura and Grassroots, while addressing the ‘Meet the Press’ programme of Guwahati Press Club on Friday. While stressing the watchdog role of Press Council of India to ensure ethics and quality in news presentation, Nair agreed that the PCI’s ambit could be expanded to include electronic and online or social media as well...
AASU activists thronging in thousands in Dispur on Thursday in Protest against the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Guwahati: Pakistan’s well-known journalist, broadcaster, expert on policy advocacy, strategic and corporate communications, Munir Ahmed will interact with the member-journalists of Guwahati Press Club (GPC) on Friday. The proactive journalist will be available through video conferencing from Islamabad between 3 and 5 pm (Indian time) on November 9, 2018. A regular contributor to Daily Times, radio and participant to programs of PTV and other national news channels, Ahmed inspired the authority to adopt Pakistan’s first ever National Conservation Strategy, National Housing Policy, National Environment Protection Act, National Sustainable Development Strategy etc. He is the founder of...