Industry Barons to Chart Out Assam Growth Path

By Supratim Dey

Guwahati, Mar 9 : Something that never probably had happened in any other Indian state, will happen in Assam tomorrow. Top honchos of Indian industry will sit together tomorrow in Guwahati to chart out vision and strategy for Assam’s economic and industrial growth at the first-ever meeting of the Assam Investment Advisory Board.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s two-month long effort to rope in the industry captains as well as other notable persons to be members of the Advisory Board to advise and suggest him how to make Assam a promising investment destination has finally fructified.

“For the last two months, our chief minister has been writing to the top industrialists of the country to help Assam chart out a course of economic development by becoming members of the Assam Investment Advisory Board. And, I am happy to say that all of them have responded positively to our CM’s request and tomorrow most of them would be here to take part at the first meeting of the Board,” said Pradyut Bordoloi, Assam’s industry minister.

Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons, Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of Bharti Group, VN Dhoot, chairman of Videocon Goup, Swati Piramal, chairman of Piramal Healthcare and also president of Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM), BM Khaitan, chairman of Eveready Industries, Jamshyd Godrej, chairman of Godrej and Boyce Group, MS Banga, president of Unilever Group, MS Swaminathan, chairman of Swaminathan Research Foundation, Naina Lal Kidwai, country head of HSBC, OP Bhatt, chairman of State Bank of India, are some of the top industrialists and notable personalities to whom Gogoi had written to and they have agreed to be members of the Board.

All of them will be accorded the status of State Guest and the meeting will take place at the chief minister’s secretariat.

Bordoloi, however, said that Mukesh Ambani, Anand Manindra, Sunil Bharti Mittal and MS Swaminathan might not be able to attend tomorrow’s meeting due to their pre-engagements, though they would send their representatives.

Bordoloi said, “We want to take our economic growth to a new level. Never ever had so many top ranking industrialists gathered together to chart out the course of economic development of any Indian state. It’s first time happening in our state.”

Ratan Tata will also lay the foundation stone of the first Taj Hotel in Guwahati and Naina Lal Kidwai will formally inaugurate the first branch of HSBC in the city.