Ahead of the Assam government’s investment summit Advantage Assam 2.0 later this month, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the state government is trying to persuade countries to review travel advisories against India’s northeastern region. Assam, Sarma argued Saturday, should not be “clubbed” with the rest of India’s northeastern states and that these advisories are a roadblock in attracting investment to the state. The Advantage Assam 2.0 summit will be held on February 25 and 26 and will be opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to Sarma, Bhutan, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia have confirmed their participation as partner countries and another six countries – the Philippines, Finland, Iceland, Austria and South Korea – have also confirmed their presence. He further stated that four bilateral agencies – US-India Business Council, India-New Zealand Business Council, UAE-India Business Council, and Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India – and four multilateral agencies – World Bank, European Union, Asian Development Bank, and New Development Bank – have confirmed their participation. “A big issue for the state when investors wish to come to Assam, the first thing they see is that Assam has been marked as “grey”, warning that no one should go to Assam because of law and security concerns. If even tourists don’t come to Assam, then the question of investors does not even arise. If today you look at America, Australia, New Zealand, if you see the travel advisories in each of these, Assam, clubbed with other states in the Northeast, have been flagged with a statutory warning that tourists should avoid it,” he said. Ahead of the investment summit, Sarma has travelled to and held meetings and roadshows in various Indian states and in other countries, including Bhutan, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Other ministers from his Cabinet have similarly travelled to Malaysia, Thailand, UK and the UAE. He said that Japan and Australia are currently actively working to review these advisories. “Japan’s external affairs minister assured us that the Japan government would work very closely with the Assam government such that travel warnings can be withdrawn. And if that happens, Assam’s tourist industry will get renewed strength. After the meeting, Japan’s ambassador came here and now data sharing is going on with our Home Department to review the travel advisories,” he said.
