Guwahati- Assam Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal on Monday said he has discussed with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi the issue of suggesting to foreign companies coming to India that they set up their bases in the state.
The state government has already written to the Centrerequesting it to advise the foreign entities to make Assamtheir home in India, Sonowal said during a meeting withrepresentatives of PSUs, industry chambers and teaassociations.
“In view of many foreign companies expressing interestto migrate their bases to India, the chief minister said hehas already discussed the matter with the prime minister,”according to an official release. The prime minister has responded positively on theissue, he said in the meeting. Industries in Assam accounts for 39 per cent of thestate GDP, employs about 4 lakh people directly and 20 lakhpeople indirectly, he said adding that this sector has beenseverely hit by the lockdown.
Tea gardens incurred losses to the tune of around Rs500 crore due to the lockdown, Sonowal said and assuredindustry captains that efforts to revive the economy areunderway. “COVID-19 has posed an extraordinary challenge to theeconomy. The present crisis calls for an extraordinaryresponse.
The state government is very much concerned with theloss incurred by the industries and has come up with measuresto check the economic slowdown,” he added. Acting on the Central government’s decision to relaxlockdown guidelines, the state allowed agricultural activitiesand functioning of tea gardens and food processing factories,Sonowal said.
He said the state government has constituted anadvisory committee under the chairmanship of retiredbureaucrat Subhas Das to recommend to the government measuresto deal with the issues affecting the economy. PTI
