Guwahati, Feb 23: The Assam Cabinet on Sunday approved investment proposals worth Rs 1.22 lakh crore ahead of the second edition of the state business summit, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, Sarma said that it had been decided that all MoUs, which will be signed during the Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit here, will be “properly scrutinised and then approved” by the council of ministers.
The cabinet, in its meeting chaired by the CM, rejected MoUs worth Rs 45,000 crore as these were found to be on “flimsy grounds”, he said.
“We don’t want to create unnecessary euphoria among people, we want to be reasonable and rational,” he said on the cabinet that had gone through all proposals before approval.
The two-day business summit will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25.
Ambassadors from over 60 countries and business delegations from several countries along with top industrialists of India are expected to attend the programme.
“The cabinet cleared MoUs worth Rs 1.22 lakh crore today and more details of these will be shared during the summit. We had decided that no MoU will be signed in piggery sector. Other than that, MoUs have been approved in various sectors, ranging from handloom and textile to power to industry to mines and minerals,” Sarma said.
Besides the MoUs approved, announcements of investments by some companies are also likely during the summit, he added.
He said the MoUs and investments to be announced through the summit can be broadly categorised into four segments – announcements for investment, announcements for infrastructure, MoU financial and MoU non-financial.
Some of these investment announcements will be by government sector, some by PSUs and also by private parties, he added.
Along with the investment proposals to be finalised at the summit here, MoUs for investment up to Rs 50 crore will be signed at the district commissioners’ (DC) offices during the two days of the mega event.
Altogether, 2,590 such MoUs with investment proposals ranging between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 crore have been confirmed to be signed at the districts during the summit, Sarma said.
These MoUs propose a total of Rs 15,911 crore of investment, he said.
The chief minister said against each proposal to be signed during the summit, details of investment and employment to be generated along with other details will be shared.
“In some proposals, the amount of investment could be more compared to jobs created, while in some cases, lesser investment could also lead to more jobs, depending on the sector,” he added.
On other decisions in the cabinet, the chief minister said a Textiles and Apparel Policy, Assam, 2025 was approved in the meeting.
“It will help in creating an investor-friendly environment with easy access to raw materials and manpower to support new investments in the textile and apparel sector,” he said.
Modification of Biotechnology Policy for the State of Assam (2022-2027) was also approved to create a more conducive environment for biotechnology research, industry and entrepreneurship to align with the BioE3 Policy.
The cabinet also approved Rs 55.45 crore to take up urban infrastructure development in tier 2 and 3 cities, and a new flyover on Amolapatty junction on old NH 37 in Dibrugarh city to ease traffic.
The cabinet also approved the introduction of Dynamic Assured Career Progression Scheme 2025 to support doctors serving as faculty members in medical colleges and ensure their growth and retain their services in state’s medical colleges.
Sarma said faculty members of medical colleges will also be entitled to various benefits like reimbursement of expenses for attending national and international seminars periodically and other facilities at par with those given to doctors at AIIMS. (PTI)
