T P Venu & Sudheer Goutham
Several surveys show Assam as the fastest growing in big states category. What are the reasons for the turnaround?
Assam has witnessed a significant rise in manufacturing and services sectors in the last five years. The reasons for the growth include assured power supply, development in road, rail and air connectivity. Also, sector specific policies for the promotion of agar wood, electric vehicles and bamboo to mention a few and the general industrial policy have worked well. Between 2019-20 and 2020-21, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) grew at just over 9 per cent.
Tell us about the developments in road and rail network.
During the pandemic while the rest of the country was reeling under the Coronavirus, the loss of life and working days in comparison to other states was less. Road, railway and airport works could be taken up and is paying dividend today. As for railway works, Brahmaputra River is a major system that divides north and south Assam and for the first time in history-three rail bridges are available for two different circles at Pancharatna, Saraighat and Dhemaji-Dibrugarh connecting the north and south banks of River Brahmaputra.
The Bogibeel Bridge, a road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River between Dhemaji district and Dibrugarh district connects the town of Dibrugarh in the south to Dhemaji to the river’s north. We have total railway link across the state.
The Guwahati-Lumding section doubling and electrification of railway line has been taken up. Few years ago, towards Barrack Valley there was only meter guage, this has been converted to broad gauge.
Today, Agartala is connected to Delhi by broad guage by the Indian Railways and State Government. This was possible by removing the bottlenecks. There is connectivity to Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur. Railways have become the lifeline of Northeastern states.
There is a lot of talk on North eastern region and specifically Assam as a destination for investments. Your comments.
The North-eastern region accounts for 7.9% of India’s total geographical area and is blessed with large areas under forest. The population of the North East is less when compared to the land ratio. The land is fertile with a huge potential for agro-based industries.
It is a virgin land with a strong political leadership. The reasons for the lack of development in the past could be traced to historical, geographical and cultural but presently, a strong work ethic is propelling growth at a rate not witnessed before.
Assam has skilled educated youth. Earlier, the youngsters would travel to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Manipal and other cities. Now, the Government is skilling young men and women with renewed vigour.
Tell us about the progress in exploiting petroleum and natural gas.
Margherita and Digboi are the oldest coal fields and Assam is still the leading state in on shore production of natural resources. The raw material is of high calorific value and graded under 1-4. The sulphur and soot content too is good for high end users. The Assam Government is identifying new sites for exploitation of natural resources.
State maintains its pre-eminent position as one of the leading producers of onshore crude oil contributing over 24% of total onshore crude production, which is approximately 12.18% of total crude production in the country. Besides, Assam has proven oil reserves of about 1.6 billion metric tonnes at the current juncture.
It can be stated that Assam currently has around 26% of the established all India balance crude oil reserve – i.e. approximately 1.6 billion metric tonnes. Similarly, 12% of the natural gas reserves are in Assam. The balance reserves as on 31st March 2017.
Tell us about the Government’s initiatives in promoting agriculture and horticulture.
Assam is considered as the tea hub in India and accounts for more than 50% of the exports. A sizable percentage of the population depends on tea. There is a major growth curve in agro based industries. Assam is the third largest producer of jute and 80% of the bamboo in the country is produced in the North East. Pineapple has a huge potential. GI tagged turmeric is adding value to agri-horti products.
Among Indian states, Assam has the highest area under pineapple cultivation—both kew and queen varieties. Dima Hasao (North Cachar Hills), Karbi Anglong, Cachar, Kamrup, and Hailakandi districts together contribute 60% of the pineapple production area in Assam.
The northeast region (NER) of India can become a big player in the global market for agriculture and horticulture products. The region produces surpluses in several horticulture commodities and there is great potential for domestic and international trade for pineapple and ginger products. There are supply chain and value chain constraints, which, when overcome, will clear the decks for NER to realize its potential in agribusiness (including horticulture), forest produce, and tea.
You have been speaking in various forums about the strategic advantage of Assam. Please explain.
There are few states that have international capitals close to it. Assam has six countries nearby such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Nepal. The India-Myanmar Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMT Highway) a 1,360 km long route is an effort under the India’s Look east policy that will connect Moreh in Manipur with Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar.
The North East has a population of 5.5 crore and depends on the mainland India for a lot of goods. The improvement in air, road and rail transport will pave the way for better trade and result in overall development.
What is your message to investors in Assam?
This is the time to invest in Assam. It is a virgin land with a young population with good communication skills. More importantly, there is a strong and stable government. The once insurgency-infested place has now turned a new leaf and is reaping benefits. There is a shift from ‘Look East’ to ‘Act East’ policy. It involves an intensive and continuous engagement with Southeast Asian countries in the field of connectivity, trade, culture, defence and people-to-people contact at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels