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Assam must showcase its potential: UK envoy

By Sivasish Thakur

GUWAHATI, Oct 27 - The British Deputy High Commissioner to India, Bruce Bucknell, today said that Assam has a huge potential waiting to be tapped in the form of its diversity, heritage, culture, Nature and wildlife.

Bucknell, who was talking to The Assam Tribune after an interactive session with the members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on �India and UK as partners in technical innovation� said that it was for Assam to showcase itself before a global audience to realise its untapped potential.

�Assam and the rest of the Northeast need technology and innovation to accelerate their progress, and Britain can invest in precisely this. But Assam has also to decide what technologies it needs and where Britain can provide the solutions...harnessing the Brahmaputra or effecting a white revolution could be some areas,� he said.

Referring to the Northeast�s proximity to the South East Asian countries as a great asset for the region, Bucknell said the key to making the Act East Policy beneficial to the Northeast lies in improving connectivity and infrastructure.

On the UK�s exit from the European Union, Bucknell sought to allay concerns that Britain would be adversely affected, saying that Britain was not leaving Europe but that it would remain a �close friend, ally and trading partner with our European neighbours � but we will pass our own laws and govern ourselves.�

Terming the huge Indian diaspora of some 1.5 million in Britain as an asset, Bucknell said that immigration-related tensions were a positive development in that the matter was being discussed so that a solution could follow.

�The Indian diaspora in Britain is the largest ethnic minority and has been an asset for us, contributing to different fields. They are also a bridge in facilitating cultural and trade exchanges. We are tracking down ethnic tensions and will solve it,� he said.

On the forthcoming Tech Summit in Delhi from November 7, the British envoy said the event would see some much-needed bilateral discourses on business and innovation between the two countries.

�India and Britain need each other to widen their global scope and space ... the future lies in bilateral trade, collaborations and innovation,� he added.

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