Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Before the start of the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit, the Assam Cabinet today approved 240 MoUs in various sectors involving an amount of Rs 1.22 lakh crore. The summit will be held on February 25 and 26 at the Khanapara Veterinary Field in Guwahati.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers, and the country’s top industrialists, as well as foreign delegates, are scheduled to attend the plenary session of the summit on February 25.
Speaking to the media after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Today we, in the three-hour-long cabinet meeting, approved 240 MoUs worth Rs 1.22 lakh crore. The signing of these MoUs is final, and we have closely scrutinised all MoUs before approving them. The sectors in the MoUs are handloom and textiles, power, mines and minerals, industries, etc. So, we are starting the summit with MoUs worth Rs 1.22 lakh crore in hand.” The value of the MoUs will go even higher, the CM added.
The announcements by big companies like Reliance Group and Adani Group will be made exclusively. Central government ministries will also make separate announcements. The CM stated that MoUs will be of different types—financial, non-financial, technological MoUs, etc.
He also said, “A total of 2,590 MoUs worth Rs 15,911 crore will be signed at the district level. Each of the MoUs will entail an investment between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 50 crore. This will be in addition to the 240 MoUs worth Rs 1 lakh 22 thousand crore.”
Regarding the plenary session of the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit on February 25, the CM stated that PM Modi, Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Pabitra Margherita will be present. Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, Tripura CM Manik Saha, Bhutan’s Agriculture Minister, etc., are a few of the invitees attending the summit.
From the corporate world, big names like Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani of Reliance Group, Gautam Adani of Adani Group, Anil Agarwal of Vedanta Resources Ltd, JSW Chairman Sajjan Jindal, Chairman SR Group Prashant Ruia, and others are slated to attend the plenary session of the summit. Local industrialists Abhijeet Baruah and Anupam Deka are also expected to be present at the plenary session, the CM said.
Additionally, the Chief Minister said that business delegations from seven foreign countries—Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Thailand—will also attend. Moreover, an investor from Japan and a full team from Bhutan will also be present at the summit.
In the post-cabinet briefing, the CM also shared details of Jhumoir Binandini on Monday, February 24. In this connection, he said the event will start at 5.30 PM at Sarusajai Stadium. PM Modi will be present at the programme. So, the people will have to enter the stadium by 3.30 PM. After arriving at the stadium, the PM will go around the field in a car and greet the spectators and the participants of Jhumoir Binandini. This will be followed by the PM’s and CM’s speech and a laser show afterwards.
Regarding the event, the CM said, “EAM S. Jaishankar and the heads of the missions from 61 countries, Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, will be present at Jhumoir Binandini as guests. Jaishankar will lead the team of the heads of the missions, and they will reach Jorhat today, and tomorrow they will visit Kaziranga National Park. The primary objective of the visit is to encourage the withdrawal of travel advisories issued by different countries regarding visits to Assam.”
After the conclusion of Jhumoir Binandini, Prime Minister Modi will arrive at Khanapara field to inaugurate an exhibition of the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit. Once there, the PM will interact with the participants of the exhibition.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Jaishankar and the heads of missions of different countries arrived in Jorhat this evening. They will halt for the night at Kohora in Kaziranga.
Also Read: Advantage Assam 2.0: 1,517 MoU Proposals Received So Far
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