Guwahati, Jan 22: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday highlighted the significance of the state’s partnership with Japan while stating that Assam would aim to play the role of a catalyst in building a strong economic bond between India and Japan.
Delivering his keynote address at the “Advantage Assam-2 Japan Road Show” in Tokyo, the chief minister, who is on the second leg of his global outreach visit following a three-day tour of South Korea, said, “Japan’s partnership through JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) has been transformative for Assam with the implementation of significant projects such as the Guwahati water supply project, Guwahati sewerage project, Assam health system strengthening project.”
“These are not just projects but pillars of our growing partnership strengthening Assam’s economic development. With the assistance from JICA, Assam is building the world’s largest river bridge over river Brahmaputra, connecting Assam and Meghalaya, thereby strengthening a new economic corridor from Northeast India to Chittagong port in Bangladesh,” he said.
“We also see immense potential for collaboration in cutting-edge sectors such as electronics, precision engineering and sustainable technology. Assam is particularly keen on joining hands with Japan on transformative initiatives in renewable energy, electric vehicles and green aviation which are the pillars of a future-ready economy,” Sarma said.
Highlighting Assam’s growing economy, he said the state’s growth was set to triple next year, representing a phenomenal sustained growth rate of 12.4 percent.
“Our single window mechanism and USD 3.2 billion production-linked incentives in various sectors makes our state a shining beacon for investment opportunities. We look forward to Assam playing a catalysing effect on the strong economic bond between India and Japan,” the chief minister said.
Sarma also interacted with potential investors and business leaders of Japan during which he highlighted the ease-of-doing business in Assam.
Notably, the Japan roadshow is being held as a precursor to the Advantage Assam-2 investment and infrastructure summit in Guwahati next month
Prior to taking part in the roadshow, Sarma paid tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Tokyo. Earlier in the day, the chief minister was accorded a warm welcome by the Assamese diaspora in Japan.