Assam to host business summit in February, PM Modi to inaugurate

Guwahati: Assam will be hosting a two-day business summit in February next year with a focus on attracting investment and developing the state's infrastructure, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Sunday.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the 'Advantage Assam 2.0 - the Global Infrastructure and Investors' Summit' on February 24, with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to be invited for the valedictory session.

"We hosted the first 'Advantage Assam' investment summit in 2018, which led to agreements for investments of Rs 1 lakh crore. But due to the COVID pandemic, we could not hold any follow-up meet, even though the state has been attracting investments," Sarma said, addressing a press conference here.

He maintained that good governance and peace have contributed to the state emerging as an investment destination.

"Taking it forward, we will be hosting the two-day summit in February. The prime minister has already accepted our invitation, and we are hopeful that the finance minister will also give her consent though we are yet to meet her formally," Sarma said.

The CM said the focus of the summit will be equally on infrastructure and investment.

Sessions on road connectivity, railway network, civil aviation and agriculture infrastructure, among others, will be organised, with Union ministers of the respective sectors invited to attend those, he said.

Focus will also be on industrial parks and hydrocarbon sectors, among others, he added.

Sarma said three delegations will be sent to foreign countries to showcase the event and invite participation, with one team visiting Singapore and Japan and one each touring the US and UK.

"One of these teams will touch upon Dubai also," he said.

The CM said limited and theme-oriented roadshows will be held in six cities -- Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.

Another team will also visit Bhutan ahead of the summit as it has been highlighted in technical workshops that water flowing from the neighbouring country can be used for irrigation and drinking water supply purposes in the state, Sarma said.

"We are not expecting investment from Bhutan, but how we can utilise their natural resource in a beneficial manner," he said.

The CM said a 'Jhumur' dance performance involving 7,500 participants will also be presented during the summit to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the tea tribes, who form an integral part of the state.