GUWAHATI: Arunachal Pradesh government has embarked on preparing roadmap to lure investment in various potential sectors in the picturesque state especially in tourism.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu during a meeting held with officials in Itanagar on Saturday, directed the departments with potentials for investment to come out with roadmaps with each and every detail of latest facts and figures by October 10 next.
“We have been harping that we have immense potential for investment and development, but only in words. Nobody is exercising on how to bring in investment or actually doing any ground work,” he said while calling upon the officials to do the ground work and submit to the government all details of assets and potentials by the deadline.
Chairing a meeting on ‘Investment and the way forward’ along with Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, Khandu was very particular on having on record all government assets, their status, their revenue generation and investment potentials, etc. He opined that unless and until all details are available with the government, it wouldn’t be possible to invite investors to the state.
“We say we are ready to invite investors from outside. But we must be ready with all facts and figures and convince them (investors) of our potential both in terms of assets and profits,” he pointed.
Responding to a power-point presentation made by the Tourism Secretary, Khandu advised her to focus on the sectors where investors can be invited to invest. Admitting tourism as one big potential sector, he said atmosphere should be created to lure big corporates and entrepreneurs to come an invest in the sector.
Khandu said if big corporates agree to open hotels in a tourist destination, the state should offer facilities like way-side amenities along the route leading to the destination.
“All departments should work in coordination and create a investor-friendly atmosphere in the state. Unless we do it, our dream to lure investors would remain unfulfilled,” he said.
He said without investment from outside coming in, the state economy cannot get out of the grip of govt-dependent economy. This, he said, would hamper the employment generation objective of the government.
The Chief Minister called for road shows, investor meets, etc., to showcase to the would-be investors what the state has on offer that would-be investor-friendly and economically viable.
Khandu directed that the report to be compiled by respective departments by October 10 should contain besides other figures, details of connectivity, land available, transportation, power, water, etc facilities.
The departments targeted for investment are Power, Urban Development, Civil Aviation, Agriculture, Horticulture, IT & Communications, Geology and Mining, Industries, Trade & Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Textile & Handicrafts, Tourism, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development and Fisheries.