Industrial town
DH Illustration
Guwahati: Assam is eager to set up a Japanese industrial town near it's capital city Guwahati with an aim to usher industrial growth in the state, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.
"Japan being one of the major partners of our country for long, we are looking at enhancing this partnership in Assam as we are trying to accelerate our pace for industrial growth," Sarma said while addressing the fifth India-Japan Intellectual Conclave in Guwahati on Thursday.
The two-day conclave that began on Thursday, is being organised by Shillong-based think tank, Asian Confluence with the help of the Embassy of Japan and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
"As Japan is a leader in electronics, robotics, renewable energy and innovations, we seek to enhance the co-operation with a focus on industry and innovation for sustainable growth. Many Japanese companies will collaborate with the semiconductor assembling unit being set up by Tata Electronics at Jagiroad near Guwahati. Therefore, we seek to establish a Japanese industrial town near the semiconductor unit in order to push the collaboration," Sarma noted.
Sarma sought help from the Japan government, MEA and other stakeholders to make his government's plan of having a Japanese industrial town a reality.
The Act East Policy Affairs Department of Assam government, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan and Meghalaya Basin Development Authority are the other partners of the conclave.
Sarma recently met Japan ministers, officials and industry leaders during his visit to Japan and invited them for the Advantage Assam 2.0 investment conclave to be organised here on February 25 and 26. PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the conclave.
Sarma said the state is seeking Japanese partnership for investments in sectors such as electronics, semiconductor, precison engineering, green energy, electronic vehicles and sustainable innovations to accelarate development in the state where industry is still at its nascent stage. "This will drive our industrial growth while ensuring environmental sustaibality," he said.
Sarma earlier said Assam is ready for investments with the state already overcoming it's two biggest problems, insurgency and agitations.
Ono Keiichi, the Ambasaddor Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to India and Bhutan, while addressing the conclave, highlighted the Japan-India growing collaboration and the road map for further growth. Jaideep Majumdar, secretary East, MEA, MP Bezbaruah, Chairman of Governing Council of Asian Confluence and Sabyasachi Dutta, Executive Director of Asian Confluence also addressed the inaugural session of the India-Japan Intellectual Conclave.