Advantage Assam 2.0: 1,517 MoU Proposals Received So Far

‘Hope to sign MoUs worth Rs 1 lakh crore’

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his hope that the state will get around Rs 1 lakh crore in investment offers during Advantage Assam 2.0. This is besides the huge investment for the development of infrastructure in the state to be announced by the Centre.

Speaking to the media here today, the Chief Minister said, "The state government has already received 1,517 proposals for MoUs. More such MoUs are on their way. However, we will choose the MoUs to be signed after scrutiny and approval by the Cabinet in its sitting on February 23, 2025. Scrutiny of the proposed MoUs is a must so that we can translate the MoUs into real investment. Just signing MoUs doesn't serve the purpose. We need to see if we can provide lands and other facilities to the would-be investors. We also need to examine the credentials of the investors."

The Chief Minister said, "We will not only welcome big industries to Assam but also create opportunities for our MSMEs, startups, FPCs, etc. We have also received investment proposals worth Rs 12,900 crore from small-time investors."

The Chief Minister said, "The PMO (Prime Minister's Office), External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, and others are directly involved with Advantage Assam 2.0 in different ways."

The Chief Minister said, "The PMO is going to provide a special aircraft to facilitate the participation of high-level delegations in Advantage Assam 2.0 from 35 countries that have heads of mission in India. The number of foreign delegations may even go up to 50. These high-level delegations will visit the Kaziranga National Park on February 23, enjoy the jhumur dance recital at Sarusajai on February 24, and remain present at Advantage Assam 2.0 on February 25. They will wind up their visit to the state on the same day. Such an initiative from the PMO is unprecedented."

The Chief Minister said that the Prime Minister would come on February 24 and witness Jhumoir Binandini in the evening. After that, he will visit the exhibition of Advantage Assam 2.0 that have two galleries - 'Pride of Assam' that displays the produce of Assam and 'Future of Assam' that showcases semiconductor industries at Jagiroad, ethanol products from bamboo at NRL, the new urea unit at Namrup etc. He will inaugurate Advantage Assam 2.0 at 10.45 am the next day, i.e., February 25.

The Chief Minister said that the summit will have two local industrialists-Abhijit Baruah and Anupam Deka-to have their say on the industrial prospects of Assam at the opening ceremony.

The Chief Minister said, "Apart from them, industrialists Anil Agarwal, Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani, and others will remain present at the opening ceremony. Union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia, S. Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hardeep Singh Puri, Piyush Goel, Nitin Gadkari, and Bhutan's Agriculture Minister. Nirmala Sitharaman will chair the valedictory function. Apart from them, country directors of the World Bank, ADB, New Development Bank, etc., will also remain present at the summit. We hope that SBI's head will also take part in the summit."

The Chief Minister further said, "High-level delegations from Bhutan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan have confirmed their participation. Most probably, a delegation from Malaysia will also take part. Premji and Associates have evinced interest in setting up a university in the state. While Vedanta Ltd is interested in setting up a hospital, Singapore is keen to set up a logistics park in the state."

 Also Read: Guwahati: Over 14,000 Investors Register in Advantage Assam 2.0

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