GUWAHATI: Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that Assam is slowly but surely making its presence felt like a state with immense potentialities to be among the front runners in the various industrial sectors and is emerging as the manufacturing hub of North East India.
“Sustained efforts over the last few years by the State Government to enhance and strengthen the state’s infrastructure is paying dividends today as investors, and those aware of the state’s massive investment opportunities, are now showing a keen interest in setting up industries here,” Patowary said at a symposium on German technology at a city hotel on Wednesday.
The meeting was also attended by Dr. Micheal Feiner, German Consul General, Kolkata. Around 8 German companies and around 70 senior representatives from the manufacturing industries of Germany participated in the day-long symposium.
Patowary said that the Government has been successful in reconnecting with the old routes with access to Chittagong Ports in Bangladesh and the ocean beyond to boost trade and commerce in the region. He added that Assam can be a natural choice for investors as the state is the gateway to South East Asia with a rich market of 80 crore population and with its advantage of a 4,800 km long international land border.
Patowary called upon the German delegation to invest in Assam which has a huge market for the country’s advanced engineering mechanisms in transport and communication, health, energy and power, industries and human resource development. He added that skill development initiatives have received a tremendous impetus from the Government of Assam through the Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM). “Germany’s dual educational programme focusing on both theory and practical training can be used to ensure that the skilled manpower can start their own entrepreneurial ventures in the sector utilizing the technical benefits of German technology and developments,” said the Minister. Patowary also requested Dr. Micheal Feiner to open a German business chapter in Guwahati which would exclusively work with the State’s Industries and Commerce department to take forward and expand the initiatives at the next level.
Dr. Micheal Feiner commended the Industry Minister’s gesture that more than B2B or G2G meetings it is the heart-to-heart connection that matters for building a strong partnership. Recalling his experience at the Global Investors’ Summit, Dr. Feiner said, “Advantage Assam opened my eyes in understanding the state’s immense potentialities, abundant resources, educated workforce and strong connectivity with ASEAN.”
He mentioned that total investment by Germany in India up to September 2017 is the US $ 10.63 billion (up to September 2017). There have been over 1,600 Indo-German collaborations and 600 Indo-German Joint Ventures. Dr. Feiner hoped that the technological co-operation between German technology and industry will go a long way in fostering mutual benefit and in achieving development goals in the near future, a press release said.