Assam moving from resource supplier to manufacturing hub: Himanta

Assam is moving from being a supplier of agricultural and mineral resources to other states to becoming a manufacturing hub, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on October 8.

Sarma made the remarks during programmes at Jamugurihat in Sonitpur district, where he inaugurated several projects, including a dairy processing facility and a tile manufacturing plant.

At Dighali Chapori, he formally launched the tile manufacturing unit of Allemby Ceramics Pvt Ltd, which he described as the first glazed vitrified tile manufacturing unit in eastern India.

The plant has been established with an investment of around Rs 250 crore on 100 bighas of land and will use China clay sourced from the Karbi hills, Sarma said.

The unit is expected to generate 325 direct jobs and more than 1,000 indirect employment opportunities.

“There was a time when Assam's agricultural and mineral resources were transported outside the state, where industries were subsequently established using those resources. That situation is now changing,” Sarma said.

He cited the recently inaugurated PepsiCo chips manufacturing plant in Nalbari, which uses potatoes grown in Assam, as another example of industries processing the state's own resources within the state.

Industrial potential of Dighali Chapori

Sarma said Dighali Chapori had further potential for industrial development, with Farm Box Bio Pvt Ltd planning a precision fermentation project to manufacture chemicals required by Numaligarh Refinery and produce ethanol from bamboo.

He said three major industries were eventually expected to come up at Dighali Chapori, potentially creating employment opportunities for 15,000 to 20,000 young people.

The Chief Minister also linked industrial expansion to Assam's employment challenge, saying government jobs alone could not address unemployment.

“Unemployment cannot be resolved through government jobs alone; an agricultural and industrial renaissance is also necessary,” he said.

Sarma said his government had provided 1.60 lakh government jobs during its previous term and would seek to create employment opportunities for another two lakh young people over the next five years.

20,000-litre dairy processing facility

At the Kanyaka Marketing Complex in Shantipur, Sarma inaugurated a dairy processing project established under the Chief Minister's Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana.

The facility has a capacity to chill and process 20,000 litres of milk and will be developed in partnership with Bihar's COMFED, which markets dairy products under the Sudha brand.

Sarma said the facility would strengthen local dairy processing and provide a market for milk producers in the area.

He also said the state had faced a shortage of industrial land in the past, claiming that the government had reclaimed 1.5 lakh bighas of land from encroachers over the past five years and put it to use for the forest department and the public.

Exclusive markets planned for women entrepreneurs

Sarma also said the government would establish exclusive markets at central locations across Assam to provide women entrepreneurs with dedicated spaces to sell products made under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan.

Later, at the Kanyaka Multipurpose Project in Jamugurihat, the Chief Minister distributed municipal vehicles and inaugurated a swimming pool and a marriage hall.

The projects are intended to improve sanitation services, provide sports facilities for local youth and offer an affordable venue for social functions.