Japan reviewing Assam's travel advisory: CM Sarma optimistic for mega summit

Guwahati, Feb. 15: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday announced that the Japanese government is reviewing and revising travel advisories for Assam, a move expected to boost tourism and investment in the state.

The upcoming Advantage Assam 2.0 summit will focus on key such as tourism, renewable energy, hydrocarbons, electronics and semiconductor, aerospace and defence manufacturing, fragrance and flavor, mobility and logistics, bamboo and sustainable harvesting, as well as food and beverages.

Addressing concerns over tourism, the Chief Minister revealed that Assam had previously been greylisted by several countries due to law and order concerns, discouraging tourists from tourists from visiting the state. However, the Japanese government now reviewing and revising its travel advisories.

“During my meeting with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Japan, I learnt that several countries have issues statutory warnings against traveling to Assam due to the past law and order issues. If tourists are prohibited, investors are unlikely to come. Currently, the Assam Home department is sharing data with the Japanese government, and Japan has already begin reviewing its advisories. Once revised, the tourism industry will benefit significantly,” Sarma stated.

Highlighting Assam's potential in key sectors, the Chief Minister cited examples of the fragrance industry and the bamboo industry.

“In the fragrance and flavor industry, we are leveraging agarwood found in Assam's forests under the E23 policy. Additionally, we plan to replace metal crash barriers with bamboo ones, as bamboo is expected to play a crucial role in the next 20 years,” the Chief Minister said.

Sarma further stressed three major facilities that could bring about transformative industrial development in the State.

He announced that the Outsourced Semiconductor assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Jagiroad is the first of its kind in India.

"Assam is home to the country's only OSAT facility for semiconductor assembly and testing", he said.

He also highlighted the Namrup green field urea plant, which will be built within the existing Namrup fertiliser plant campus, with a production capacity of 12 lakh metric tonnes.

Another significant project is the transformation of bamboo to ethanol.

"Numaligarh has nearly completed the bamboo-to-thanol project, which will be launched within the next two months. The project, with an outlay of more than Rs 10,000 crores, will be a game changer", Sarma added.

The Chief Minister also stated that two policies – The Assam Startup and Innovation Policy 2025 and The Aircraft and Defence Manufacturing Policy - which are expected to facilitate industrial development in the state.

The Chief Minister also announced that the summit has already received 7,000 registrations, with 10 days remaining before the event. 

“We have received 7,000 registrations so far, a remarkable number typically witnessed in states like Gujarat,” the Chief Minister concluded.