SILCHAR, Sept 21 - In a bid to boost the economy of Assam, Finance Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday has said that better relations with South Asian nations, like Bangladesh and Myanmar, is the need of the hour.
�Partition of the country did more damage to the northeastern part of India than any other region which is why we are still lagging behind in many aspects than other States. Assam has political and cultural bonds with the mainland India, but the economic bonding of the State and the region lies with the South Asian nations since we share 5,300 kms of boundary with those nations,� Dr Sarma said.
�Completing the much awaited Trans-Asian Highway will not solve the issues. We need to ensure that better connectivity expands opportunities for exporting goods from Assam and North East, instead of allowing the nations to flood their goods here,� he said and added that the Assam government will have meetings with delegations of nine South Asian nations to expand better trade possibilities.
He also said that pharmaceutical industry can be set up in Assam for exporting medicines to South Asian nations.
�In the next five years, Assam will witness a massive industrial facelift and the eco system is being developed. Hence we must strive for creating Brand Assam,� he added.
