Centre committed to strengthen connectivity in NE, says Jaishankar

GUWAHATI: Good Infrastructure is a vital requirement to attract investment in the state and the Centre is committed to strengthen development and connectivity in Assam and the entire north eastern region, said Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar while interacting with the media at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra here today.

He further said India and Japan governments are collaborating for enhancing skill development, business and investment in a robust manner. The visit of the ambassador of Japan to India, Satoshi Suzuki, to Assam reflects how the Indo-Japan partnership can make a difference in India and more specifically towards the development of Assam, he added.

The Centre took the Act East Policy to a higher level to expand the connectivity with Southeast Asia and the result is seen with numerous connectivity projects, economic flows and strategic cooperation, he added. 

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He said that Assam can play a critical role in power, transportation sector for the Northeast. The minister asserted that Assam is a major player in producing refined petroleum products and the government is working to facilitate the sale of the product to a larger region. In this regard government is working on pipeline to supply diesel to Bangladesh, he added.

Suzuki said Japan and India are collaborating for the development of the Northeast with special focus on Assam. He further added that development of Northeast region was indispensable for India to become a $5 trillion economy. He said Japan was supporting various connectivity projects in Assam. In this regard a 20 km river bridge will be constructed over the Brahmaputra which will connect Dhubri with Phulbari and this will be the longest river bridge of India.

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Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said there was tremendous potential in the state for investment in different sectors. The government proposed for setting up a Japanese industrial township in a 600 acre plot at Nagarbera in Kamrup district which will in a long way boost industrial development in the state and business for both the countries, Sonowal said.

Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was also present on the occasion and said the state was keen in taking forward the Act East Policy.