Guwahati, Jan 23, 2025, IANS

Guwahati, Jan 23 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state is poised to become the next economic powerhouse in the country during his meeting with business leaders in Japan’s Osaka on Thursday. The Chief Minister is on a three-day visit to Japan to promote the state’s potential to become a hub of investments. In an X post, Sarma said, “Assam is set to be India’s next economic powerhouse. Our USD $12 billion infrastructure investment plan is a huge opportunity for global firms. In 2024 we secured a private investment of USD $4 billion, the highest ever.” He argued that the business community in Japan is interested in investing in India and the community possesses the highest regard for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I was thrilled to see the excitement amongst Japan’s business community for India and the huge respect for the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister. On behalf of the people of Assam, I have invited Osaka’s vibrant business community to join #AdvantageAssam2,” Sarma added, saying that the state government has fixed a target to take Assam’s GSDP to more than 140 billion dollars in the next five years. “During my interaction with over 80 business leaders, I conveyed our target to take Assam’s GSDP to USD $143 billion by 2030,” he wrote on X. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister looked forward to partnering with a leading Japanese firm for the upcoming semiconductor manufacturing unit in Assam. He added: “During my visit to the Micron Memory facility today, I interacted with Mr Joshua Lee, the company’s Vice President and invited them to be a part of Assam’s semiconductor growth story. Jagiroad’s Electronic Township is on the precipice of becoming a global semiconductor hub and firms like Micron, which is a pioneer in FAB technology, can immensely strengthen our semiconductor value chain.” Sarma also met Lekh Raj Juneja, the awardee of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman this year conferred to him by the Union government. The CM’s X post stated: “Engaged in a very productive discussion with Shri Lekh Raj Juneja, CEO, Kameda Seika and invited him to explore opportunities in Assam's rapidly growing food sector. The State already has a well-established ecosystem for the industry with specialised food parks and major companies already running their operations.” “We look forward to taking this momentum further with other companies joining the bandwagon. I also congratulated Shri Juneja on being recently conferred with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2025,” he added. The Assam government is set to host an investment summit ‘Advantage Assam’ next month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kickstart the summit. According to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the event, which is set for February 25 and 26, would also highlight the traditional Jhumur dance of the tea tribe clans. Sarma said, “This summit is a platform to showcase Assam's rich traditions to a global audience in addition to attracting investors.” A spectacular Jhumur dance performance with more than 7,500 dancers and artists will be part of the event. It will be an extraordinary show, he said.