The Hindu : National : Assam acting on investment proposals worth Rs. 33,068 crore

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Assam acting on investment proposals worth Rs. 33,068 crore

Sushanta Talukdar

Perception about the State’s law and order situation and industrial climate

Proposal includes country’s largest paper
mill in Goalpara
State Skill Development Mission to be
formed soon

Guwahati: The Assam government has received over the past two and half years investment proposals to the tune of Rs. 33,068 crore, including the proposal to set up the country’s largest paper mill. Besides the State government also received 88 expressions of interests during the just concluded fourth North East Business Summit held here.

This was stated by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi here on Thursday. Mr. Gogoi told journalists that the business proposals involving such huge amounts showed that perception about Assam’s law and order and industrial climate had changed among potential investors outside the State and also among foreign investors.

The Chief Minister announced that his government would soon constitute a State Skill Development Mission to encourage employment and skill development among the youth to create a pool of skilled personnel. He said that the initial target would be to create 5 lakh skilled manpower over the next few years. The Chief Minister himself will head the mission.

“The recent fourth North East Business Summit in Guwahati which was a huge success in terms of participation of large numbers of diplomats and ambassadors and corporate honchos is a clear pointer to the fact that the dramatic change in the law and order situation has induced a congenial atmosphere for investment. I have had long interactions with the emissaries and ambassadors of several countries and they have shown interests to invest in sectors like power, tourism, infrastructure, agro-based industry, food processing in which Assam has tremendous potential,” the Chief Minister said.

Industry Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said a business group from south India has submitted a detailed project report for setting up the country’s largest paper mill in Goalpara in lower Assam. The estimated cost of the project is Rs.2,600 crore for which the State government will provide 500 acres , he added.

Mr. Bordoloi said the Industrial Investment Secretariat of the State had been following up the business proposals. The government has identified 1,000 acres of vacant land in the premises of closed and sick industries for facilitating the proposed business proposals.

Mr. Gogoi said the Tata Group has also agreed to commission a study for the setting up of an Ecologically Compliant Education City, which will be the first such educational institute in a series of other educational verticals such as liberal arts, liberal sciences, engineering, and ecological studies. The government will provide the Tata Institute of Social Sciences the required 750 acres of land.

The Chief Minister said the government was committed improving the infrastructure in transport, road, rail and air, communication, information technology.

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