Putting the State on to the world map yet again, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma recently participated at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
Before going for the international outreach, the Chief Minister said, “Assam has been given the opportunity to represent India at the prestigious global forum for the first time. For the first time, the Government of India has given Assam the opportunity to participate in the World Economic Forum annual meeting at Davos. Usually States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan represent India at this forum. This time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a huge opportunity to Assam.”
On reaching Switzerland, the Chief Minister was accorded a warm reception at Zurich airport by members of the Indian diaspora.
Acknowledging the gesture, the Chief Minister posted in X, “Deeply touched by the warm welcome extended by our Pravasi Bharatiya community at Zurich Airport. Their blessings & affection drives our effort to showcase the best of Bharat in the global arena under Adarniya Narendra Modi Ji’s leadership.”
On the same day, the Chief Minister met distinguished leaders like Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu, the President of the World Bank Ajay Banga and Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu.
The Chief Minister also joined Team Bharat colleagues for the opening of the India Pavilion of World Economic Forum, “This platform will showcase to the global community, the best opportunities offered by India.”
Speaking about the State’s development, he said, “Assam is the key pillar of India’s Act East Policy and guided by the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji we have emerged as the country’s fastest growing State.” He further invited investors to explore the opportunities Assam has to offer.
The very next day, the Chief Minister shared how Assam is preparing its workforce for an increasingly automated and AI-enabled environment, and mentioned, “Given our young demography, Assam is rewriting the training playbook. The Assam Skill Development University, along with other initiatives, is embedding industry-friendly curricula and programmes at the heart of our efforts. Assam has some excellent use cases. For instance, our State hosts one of the most digitally advanced manufacturing sites globally.”
Later in the day, the Chief Minister along with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held meetings with the key leaders of the global semiconductor industry and discussed the expansion of Assam’s semiconductor ecosystem and secure upstream as well as downstream supply chain. The meeting was joined by leaders from Synopsys, Qualcomm, Analog Devices, Thermo Fisher, Honeywell and Henkel among others, “Each of these companies are doing some excellent work and have shown keen interest to partner with us,” the CM informed extending his gratefulness to Chairman of Tata Sons N Chandrasekaran for organising this round table and being a valuable ally of the Assam Government.
Among many others, the Chief Minister also met Vice Chairman of IBM Gary Cohn and discussed exploring investment opportunities in Assam, “Happy to share that a team would be coming down to Guwahati to evaluate opportunities in skilling, AI adoption and other initiatives,” the CM added.
Meanwhile, he also called on the Chief Operating Officer of the Varaha Group Ikarus Janzen. Varaha is on a mission to remove one billion tonnes of CO₂ through biochar, regenerative agriculture, and afforestation initiatives and said, “We are exploring avenues to bring them on board to benefit our farming communities.”
During the meeting with the leadership team of World Economic Forum, a decision to set up a Centre of Excellence in Assam in collaboration with the World Economic Forum on a theme of both national and State importance was also taken. “We are also building a long term partnership with this exceptional platform so that Assam can continue to leverage major WEF assets such as annual summits in Davos and elsewhere.”
It is to be mentioned here that Assam has secured investment commitments worth Rs 1 lakh cr during its first-ever participation at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting marking a major milestone for the State’s global economic engagement.
According to the Chief Minister, Assam’s presence at Davos has been an enlightening experience and has helped position the State as an emerging investment destination, particularly for the Northeast, “Investment commitments were secured within a short span, barely a few hours into the state’s engagement at the global forum.”
Highlighting Assam’s economic trajectory, Sarma said, “The State is currently the fastest-growing in the country, recording a consistent growth rate of 13 per cent over the past five years, with projections indicating similar performance in the near future. We are a small economy, but now we are growing at a faster pace. The Prime Minister has been championing the cause of Assam and the entire Northeastern region.”
The Chief Minister noted that Assam has laid the foundation for a bio-gas factory and a green field chemical complex, and announced that Tata Semiconductor is expected to begin chip production at its Assam facility within the next two to three months. He said these developments underscore the State’s growing industrial base.
The Chief Minister believes Assam’s investment focus is on high-value sectors that align with the State’s strengths, including energy, green energy, solar storage, hydrocarbons, semiconductors and electronics.
Reflecting on changing perceptions, Sarma said, “Earlier Assam was largely known for products such as tea and the one-horned rhinoceros, but is now being increasingly recognised as a viable investment destination. People are listening and want to understand the potential and how they can invest here.”
Terming Assam a very important destination in the national economic landscape, Sarma said the Prime Minister’s consistent advocacy for the State has helped bring it to the global spotlight. He expressed confidence about Assam’s future and said the ₹1 lakh cr investment commitment marks a strong foundation for long-term economic growth.
The Chief Minister credited the Prime Minister’s vision and commitment towards the North Eastern region for making Assam’s debut at WEF Davos possible.
Concluding the successful visit, the Chief Minister posted in X, “Wrapped up Assam’s successful Davos debut as I met over 200 business leaders & interacted with a host of changemakers. I head back to Bharat with a lot of learning and with a lot of new opportunities unlocked for Assam.”
