CM Sonowal says Assam on Path of Economic Resurgence

CM inaugurates manufacturing plant of Essel Propack

GUWAHATI: “After only one year of the successful holding of Advantage Assam: Global Investors Summit, we are witnessing a plethora of big-ticket investments in the State which have underlined the State’s potential to become a top investment destination. The summit which saw the signing of some 240 MoUs with the commitment of Rs 79,000 crore investment has already resulted in public sector investment to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore and nearly Rs 10,000 crore from the private sector. We are marching ahead in our goal to make Assam the gate way to South East Asia and positioning ourselves as a top investor friendly destination in the country. As a result, the State is witnessing an economic resurgence.”

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said this on Sunday while inaugurating the greenfield manufacturing plant of Essel Propack at Madanpur in Kamrup.

Notably, Essel Propack is one of the top manufacturing companies in the world of laminated plastic tubes catering to the FMCG and Pharma sectors.

This is the seventh such plant of the company in India and first in the Northeast which has set up bases in many countries of the world. In the first phase, the company has invested an amount of Rs 82 crore which will be increased to a total of Rs 192 crore in subsequent phases. The plant is currently providing employment to 150 people and it has a manufacturing capacity of 275 million tubes annually. Dabur, Ozone, Emami, Hindustan Unilever, Patanjali etc are some of the companies that purchase tubes for their products from this Essel Propack plant.

Saying that Essel Propack was one of the companies which committed investment in the state during the road show held in Mumbai before Advantage Assam summit, Sonowal thanked CMD of Essel Propack Ashok Goel for fulfilling the commitment by opening this production facility which would generate employment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has termed the NE region as astalaxmi and new engine of growth for the country and the State government has taken a lot of steps to realize that vision, he said.

Highlighting the landmark initiative of the Central Government to increase the production capacity of Numaligarh Refinery Limited from 3 MTPA to 9 MTPA with a whopping investment of Rs 22,594 crore which would open newer avenues of employment, Sonowal urged the state’s youth to empower themselves to take advantage of this changing scenario. He also called young aspiring entrepreneurs to come forward to derive benefit from the ‘Assam Start-up – The Nest’ incubation centre recently opened by the state government so that Assamese youth can become job creators instead of being job seekers.

Saying that the State government is making all efforts to provide a conducive environment to the investors to facilitate industrial growth, the Chief Minister said that Act East Policy has given impetus to the trade and business in the state and through this policy the state would become the gateway and the business hub of South East Asia. He urged the global investors to take advantage of these changing times and set up their businesses in Assam so that they can take advantage of the state’s growth and prosperity.

Chairman and Managing Director of Essel Propack Ashok Goel thanked the State government for support and cooperation in setting up this plant and said that this through this plant the company is aiming to capture the market of the ASEAN countries. He said that 90 per cent of the employees in the plant are from the State and he highly appreciated the Assam’s young generation for their willingness to learn new things and zeal to work dedicatedly, a press release said.

Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that this is only the beginning of the industrial revolution taking place in the state and he informed that more and more companies would come to the state in the near future.

Also Read: Assam News