Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in presence of minister for MSME Narayan Rane inaugurated the opening ceremony of the four-day-long 7th India Industrial Fair, titled UDYAM 2022, at Veterinary College Field, Khanapara, in Guwahati organised by the Northeast chapter of micro, small and medium enterprises industry body Laghu Udyog Bharti.
Held by the industry body in association with the union ministry of micro, small and medium enterprise and the department of industries, commerce and public enterprises, Assam, it is aimed at providing the producers and manufacturers in the MSME sector a platform to showcase their products and items to prospective buyers from both governments as well as the private sector.
Chief minister Sarma, lauding the efforts of Laghu Udyog Bharti for taking initiatives for organising events like this, said such platforms would help the new crop of entrepreneurs in the sector by motivating them to go ahead with greater zeal, witnessing the enthusiasm among prospective buyers for new and innovative products in the market.
“Start-ups will get new direction through initiatives like this (UDYAM 2022)… Platforms such as this by connecting the producers with the prospective buyers would act as a potent driver for growth in the MSME world,” the CM stated, adding, “For the MSME sector to reach its full potential, it is the need of the hour that fearless entrepreneurs not averse to risk-taking take the lead in helping it (the sector) reach newer heights.”
Sarma, speaking on the role of the MSME sector towards the country’s gross domestic product, expressed his gratitude to the industry as a whole for its contribution towards nation-building through the creation of wealth and employment opportunities for the nation’s youths.
The chief minister, stating that the MSME sector contributes to 29 percent of the state GDP, appealed to the major players in the industry to look at Assam as their most-favoured investment destination as the state today, under the current dispensation, is going through a phase of total peace and security across its length and breadth.
Sarma also stated that the state government has lined up a host of initiatives, such as auto-renewal of expired business licenses among others aimed at an overhaul of the industrial environment in the state.
This, the chief minister added, would go a long way in achieving the Prime Minister’s dream project – the Act East Policy – aimed at connecting the economy of Northeast India with that of the South-East Asian nations.
“The connecting of the economy and businesses of the region with that of South-East Asia would not only provide our entrepreneurs the huge market that region would offer but would also provide an avenue to our youths for self-employment by being a part of that trade link-up,” Sarma added.
The CM also appealed to the union minister of MSME Narayan Rane, who was present on the occasion, to come up with a new industrial policy for the Northeastern part of the country, in line with the one that was enacted for the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, so that investors look favourably at the region for their precious investments.
Sarma also spoke about the steps being taken by the government to modernise and improve the roadways, riverways as well as the logistic infrastructure of the state, which he stated, should be seen as a commitment of the current dispensation towards the investors who have already invested or are looking forward to invest in the state.
The 7th India Industrial Fair 2022 is being held for four days from April 22 to 25, at the Veterinary College Field, Khanapara.
