GUWAHATI, May 23 - Hailing the BJP-led alliance�s victory in the Assembly polls, the Kamrup Chamber of Commerce (KCC) and other associate bodies today congratulated Chief Minister designate Sarbananda Sonowal and urged him to do the needful for according Assam its rightful place amongst the leading States of the country.
Addressing a press conference, Mahavir Jain, president, KCC, placed before the new State government, which is scheduled to take oath tomorrow, some suggestions for accelerating the State�s progress.
The suggestions include declaration of tea as national drink; bringing fresh investment into the manufacturing and service sectors; immediate restoration of NEIIPP for at least 10 years and continuation of the exemptions given in the policy in all sectors; improving by investing substantially in agriculture, horticulture sector and allied sectors including food processing, etc.
�The Union government must declare these as thrust areas as they are employment-intensive, while investment in the oil sector is only capital-intensive. The improvement in agriculture and horticulture sector should also be supplemented by increasing investment and development of related infrastructure, like cold chain in every subdivision, marketing facilities and warehouses for the farmers. The FCI must be made active at the lowest level to buy surplus food-grain from the farmers,� Jain said.
Other suggestions included steps for utilisation of lakhs of hectares of sandy areas (after the water level of the Brahmaputra recedes from October to February) for specialised crops; utilisation of hundreds of crores of rupees that go back to the Central Non Lapsable Pool every year because of poor performance and lack of initiatives by bureaucrats and the political leadership; development of Guwahati as a smart city; boosting the rural economy by giving thrust on traditional handloom and handicraft sector, creating self-employment in the process; engaging the paramilitary forces in the region for training the youth in security services and enabling them to join these forces; higher fund allocation for skill development projects so that every block and subdivision can have centres to give gainful employment to the youth; and implementation of the Act East Policy in its letter and spirit.
GUWAHATI, May 23 - Hailing the BJP-led alliance�s victory in the Assembly polls, the Kamrup Chamber of Commerce (KCC) and other associate bodies today congratulated Chief Minister designate Sarbananda Sonowal and urged him to do the needful for according Assam its rightful place amongst the leading States of the country.
Addressing a press conference, Mahavir Jain, president, KCC, placed before the new State government, which is scheduled to take oath tomorrow, some suggestions for accelerating the State�s progress.
The suggestions include declaration of tea as national drink; bringing fresh investment into the manufacturing and service sectors; immediate restoration of NEIIPP for at least 10 years and continuation of the exemptions given in the policy in all sectors; improving by investing substantially in agriculture, horticulture sector and allied sectors including food processing, etc.
�The Union government must declare these as thrust areas as they are employment-intensive, while investment in the oil sector is only capital-intensive. The improvement in agriculture and horticulture sector should also be supplemented by increasing investment and development of related infrastructure, like cold chain in every subdivision, marketing facilities and warehouses for the farmers. The FCI must be made active at the lowest level to buy surplus food-grain from the farmers,� Jain said.
Other suggestions included steps for utilisation of lakhs of hectares of sandy areas (after the water level of the Brahmaputra recedes from October to February) for specialised crops; utilisation of hundreds of crores of rupees that go back to the Central Non Lapsable Pool every year because of poor performance and lack of initiatives by bureaucrats and the political leadership; development of Guwahati as a smart city; boosting the rural economy by giving thrust on traditional handloom and handicraft sector, creating self-employment in the process; engaging the paramilitary forces in the region for training the youth in security services and enabling them to join these forces; higher fund allocation for skill development projects so that every block and subdivision can have centres to give gainful employment to the youth; and implementation of the Act East Policy in its letter and spirit.
