Modi govt committed to welfare of Assam: S Jaishankar

Guwahati: External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government is committed towards the welfare of Assam and hoped that many development projects can be fructified in the state in collaboration with the Japan government.

“The Modi government has a very deep commitment to the progress and welfare of Assam. You can see that in different ways in projects and changes, which have happened in the last six years,” he said during a joint press conference here.

Jaishankar also highlighted how international partnerships can make a difference in the development of a state. “We hope to see many of these projects fructify in the coming years,” he added.

The minister said, “We are trying today to partner with the state government and to create better infrastructure and enabling environment in Assam, while promising greater investment from Japanese companies.” Meanwhile, the Japanese Ambassador to India Satoshi Suzuki also spoke on how the Japan government is providing assistance to the infrastructure in Assam.

“What the Japanese government is trying to do is offer official development assistance that would create necessary infrastructure… It is actually up to Japanese businessmen to choose Assam for their investment. To be frank, Japanese businesses are offered invitations from various states in India and there should be healthy competition among the states. Japanese businessmen need to know Assam better so that they could seek the opportunities here,” he said.

Asked about how the military coup in Myanmar can affect development projects, Jaishankar hoped that the events would not affect the development projects in Assam.

Earlier, Jaishankar had visited the Guwahati Water Supply Project in Assam with Suzuki.

The EAM had asserted that a closer India-Japan partnership is most natural and has had a central place in India’s modernisation and development efforts.

Meanwhile, Suzuki said the north-eastern part of India is situated where India’s Act East Policy and Japan’s vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific converge.