Assam witnessing a golden moment of growth: Nirmala Sitharaman
The semiconductor project is being developed with an investment of ₹27,000 crore and is expected to produce 48 million semiconductor chips per day upon completion.
GUWAHATI: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday urged the Assam youth to take advantage of the present spate of growth in the state and start their own ventures.
“The present time offers immense opportunities. Once an industrial unit is established, several peripheral industries are likely to emerge, generating more employment avenues for the youth,” she stated at the site of the semiconductor assembly and test project being set up by Tata Electronics at Jagiroad.
“Assam is witnessing a golden moment of growth, and I urge the youth to step forward, take risks, and start their own ventures to contribute to the nation’s economic development,” Sitharaman added.
The semiconductor project is being developed with an investment of ₹27,000 crore and is expected to produce 48 million semiconductor chips per day upon completion.
The project, the first of its kind in the Northeast, will generate around 15,000 direct and 11,000-13,000 indirect jobs
The finance minister, who was accompanied by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, interacted with officials overseeing the project and reviewed its progress. Later, she participated in an interactive session engaging with over 200 students, start-ups, and entrepreneurs.
Sitharaman emphasised that Assam had taken the lead by bringing a semiconductor manufacturing unit to the state, demonstrating foresight and dynamism in industrial policy.
The finance minister reached Guwahati on a two-day visit on Friday, and inaugurated two projects worth ₹632 cr later in the evening.
The Gateway of Guwahati (a terminal and jetty) on the banks of Brahmaputra is northeast’s first all-weather floating terminal, which has been built at a cost of ₹305 crore. The second project, a riverfront development initiative setting up recreational facilities on the banks of Brahmaputra in Guwahati, was constructed at a cost of ₹327 crore.
The facility has landscaped paths, cycle tracks, seating areas, play area for children and an open gymnasium.
“I believe Brahmaputra is the soul of Assam. The initiatives are indicators of Assam’s resurgence. It is by connecting with the Brahmaputra, a new Assam can be created,” Sitharaman said.
The minister stated that Assam is the topmost state in the country to fully utilise interest-free loans, which are provided for a period of 50 years, for creating infrastructure and development projects.
