Guwahati:
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said that Assam stands to benefit greatly from the Aatmi Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-Reliant India initiativ), envisioned by the Prime Minister to revive the economy that has been crippled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Lauding the Prime Minister for his recent initiatives to mitigate the crisis, Sonowal said, "He (Sonowal) has said that in the time of the lockdown to fight against the coronavirus, we have had to face a lot of economic problems. Be it the Central or the State Governments -- all have had to encounter economic problems. However, the people of India have kept their emotional strength intact. And they have faith that Modi, since he has delivered since taking over, will deliver us from this period of crisis. And now, he has done that."
Sonowal has also opined that the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat package that was recently announced by the PM will greatly benefit the people of Assam. "The PM has announced that over Rs 3 lakh crore has been allotted to MSMEs. After discussions, we have come to the conclusion that are more than 1 lakh such MSMEs in Assam which provide livelihoods for around 40 lakh people", Sonowal said, adding that 99.9% of the industries in Assam are MSMEs.
The Chief Minister also said that 2,000 MSMEs in Assam are under stress and they will be benefited as the Centre has allocated Rs 20,000 crore for this very purpose.
"Migrants will also receive housing facilities. The PM said that every person should have a roof over his head, and this is a continuation of this vision", Sonowal said, while referring to the Centre's housing schemes for the migrants and urban poor that was announced yesterday.
Sonowal also said that the "economic farm" has to be built in such a manner so as to be competitive on a global scale and laid emphasis on production, procurement, and marketing. "We have to use goods produced in local industries and then we have to take over the global bazaar", Sonowal said.