US-India Business Council members meet Chandra Mohan Patowary

GUWAHATI: Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary interacted with top global companies operating across United States and India through a webinar at Janata Bhawan here on Thursday. The webinar was facilitated by US-India Business Council (USIBC) and assisted by Invest India.

The companies included representatives from General Electric (GE), Hydrocarbon Dynamic (HCD), Pfizer, P&G, John Deere, Mastercard, eBay and Walmart.

The Minister called upon the industries to invest in Assam and instructed the officials to fast track all investment proposals and assured of customized support with a dedicated team of officers for each company.

Patowary underlined the proactive steps taken not only in the health sector to control COVID-19 pandemic, but also in putting the economy back on track by allowing all its industries to resume work albeit with social distancing and other precautions.

Highlighting the advantages of Assam, Patowary said, "The strategic geographic location backed by a strong connectivity network makes Assam the ideal staging point for doing business with BBN and ASEAN bloc countries. This opens up $ 800-million market for the industrialists who want to manufacture in Assam for export to the rest of the global market through the ports of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Initiatives like Act East Policy Affairs Department and Assam Skill Development Mission have helped to develop better commercial linkages with the South East Asian countries," added Patowary.

Interacting with Pfizer, Minister Patowary invited the company to set up a plant in Assam as it already has a strong pharmaceutical base for companies like Sun Pharma, Ajanta Pharma, Hetero Healthcare, with export potentialities to Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

The Minister asked John Deere – manufacturing company in agriculture sector – to explore in agri-entrepreneurship and agri-mechanization for employment in the rural areas.

He also asked companies like Mastercard, Walmart and e-bay to come forward and support the MSMEs, particularly the rural artisans, handloom and textile entrepreneurs and training in digital payments etc. He asked Hydrocarbon Dynamic (HCD) and GE to work with the State Government in sectors like hydrocarbon and power respectively.

Dr. KK Dwivedi, Commissioner and Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, presented Assam's advantages in terms of robust connectivity, natural resources, skilled workforce, favourable policies like NEIDS and the state's own Industrial and Investment Policy, ease of business, industrial corridor etc, a press release said.