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Assam gateway to ASEAN countries: Sonowal

By AT News |

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the North -Eastern region now is fast emerging as the gateway to the 10 South East Asian Countries with immense potential of being the sunrise area of India’s economy.

Participating in a Conclave East 2017 in Kolkata on Friday, Chief Minister Sonowal said that the region with its immense potential is poised to be new growth engine and the launch pad of India’s presence in the ASEAN countries. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reiteration of North East being Asta Laxmi, Chief Minister Sonowal said that the perfect alignment between the Central and State Government, Assam is now ready to lead the league of eight north eastern states and corroborate the Centre’s act east through India’s north-eastern region.

Sonowal also said that he being in the helm of affairs, is trying to wipe out all administrative loopholes to spearhead a perfect ambience for development in Assam and create a congenial atmosphere for development in other north-eastern states.

Sonowal said that Assam has been prone to flood since 1951. The state gets only six month time to work on its construction activities and as a result quality construction gets delayed. However, the State government has charted out modus operandi  to expedite construction activities to complement state’s development.

He however, said that for the permanent solution of the perennial flood in Assam, the Centre under the directive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has constituted an expert committee with the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog as its head to study the overall problem of flood taking into cognizance international reasons contributing to flood in Assam.

Moreover, on the issue of economic development Chief Minister Sonowal said that his government is  taking Assam to new frontiers. The state has immense natural beauty. Perhaps the last frontier which the Indian and international tourists would prefer to visit. The mighty Brahmaputra and the Barak, national parks and ten game sanctuaries, the lush green tea gardens, golf course, the hills are just a few examples of awesome Assam.

Coupled with awesome, Assam is now poised to take the geo strategic locational advantage of the State, the advantage of being the only place which has road routes to ASEAN through Myanmar and Thailand.  The advantage of being the hub for a population of 80 crores- the advantage of being blessed with water ways of Brahmaputra and the Barak, the eco-friendly, eco logically sustainable transportation route. The advantage of having young, educated, extremely productive youth, the advantage of being blessed with sprawling tea industry amidst enchanting meadows, the advantage of being one of the few states with an integrated petroleum industry- the upstream, the downstream and the petrochemical capacities. And finally, the advantage of showing to India, the way forward for a raw India by being its new engine.

In this backdrop, Assam is all set to organise the Global Investors’ Summit on 3 and 4 February, 2017 to woo the investors to invest in Assam, Sonowal professed. 

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Assam Times Staff. editor@assamtimes.org
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