CM exhorts entrepreneurs to go digital

Guwahati, May 11: Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal said that with some of the most talented craftsmen, artisans and entrepreneurs, Assam has the potential to emerge as an economic hub for the eastern part of the country.

“What’s needed is visibility at both tiol and global levels,” said Chief Minister Sonowal while iugurating Facebook’s ‘Boost your Business’ programme at Hotel Vivanta By Taj here on Thursday.

Maintaining that “Programs like Facebook’s ‘Boost Your Business’ can transform Assam by providing its entrepreneurs with much needed access to the world’s digital economy”, Sonowal urged the young women entrepreneurs to make best use of the workshop and go digital for promotion of their products.

Designed to provide entrepreneurs with new digital resources, insights and stimulus to build and grow their businesses online, the workshop is a joint initiative of Facebook and Government of Assam.

“The priority of our government is to work towards a better Assam and programmes like ‘Skill India’, ‘Make in India’ and ‘Start up India’ will be fast tracked to empower youth and entrepreneurs, said Sonowal on the occasion.

Underlining the core motive of Centre’s “Act East policy”, the Chief Minister also pointed out the State government’s efforts to take advantage of the changing environment to project Assam as the most important corridor for the tion to access the south-east Asian markets.

“Assam Government has also decided to open an Act East Policy Affairs Department”, Sonowal added.

Reiterating that state government’s commitment to revitalize the economic environment, the Chief Minister mentioned that several path breaking initiatives have been introduced in the industrial and business policy of Assam and “Ease of Doing Business” has been adopt to compliment the same.

Speaking about the State government’s four core goals of making an Assam free from corruption, insurgency, illegal migration and pollution, Sonowal stated that these efforts are targeted to create a conducive business environment to facilitate and accommodate tiol and intertiol business investors.

The Chief Minister also informed that soon the government would set up a Intertiol Trade Centre in Guwhati so that global business community can carry out their business from Assam and contribute in the growth of its economy.

Ritesh Mehta, Head of Programs for Facebook India, and Chief Minister’s Legal Adviser Santanu Bharali were also present in the programme.

With a view to provide a major fillip to women entrepreneurs in the state who have traditiolly had a leading role in social and commercial enterprise, the event featured a panel discussion with women sharing their experiences with running businesses.

The workshop also introduced local artisans, micro, small and medium business owners with the right tools and information to help them grow their business online. Business owners from Assam were introduced to platforms like Facebook Toll to introduce and sell their products to more than 20 crore users in India.