Gone are the days when Assam was merely known for its stunning landscapes and fragrant tea. Over the past decade, Assam has leveraged its geostrategic advantages to portray its potential to become a major investment hub. The post-pandemic era has been particularly kind to Assam. Between 2022 and 2024, Assam has brought home close to Rs. 15,000 in investments, creating more than 17,000 jobs in the process. To further strengthen Assam’s economic foundation, the government recently hosted Advantage Assam 2.0, a unique investment and infrastructure summit at the Veterinary Field in Khanapara, Guwahati. The summit created a fantastic platform for business-to-business and G2B dialogue, presenting Assam's opportunities for investment.

This led to an excellent opportunity for the industry leaders to explore avenues of trade and investment in Assam, primarily in strategic sectors such as energy, digital economy, IT, defense, aerospace, auto manufacturing, sports, pharma, healthcare, agri, tourism, and finance. It was also the largest infrastructure and investment event of the year, highlighting Assam as a key player in India's growth story and one of the best global investment destinations. 

Summit's Outreach

Over 1,300 Indians attended over 240 Business-to-Government (B2G) meetings organized in the key cities of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and New Delhi, reflecting the high degree of national interest. Over 180 meetings with stakeholders and global investors were also organized at the international level.  Over 1,100 international guests from Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the UK, and the UAE visited the summit.

Advantage Assam 2.0 Exhibition

Inaugurated by PM Modi, AA 2.0 became the largest trade fair in the region so far. More than 200 exhibitors, such as popular firms like Tata, HUL, IOCL, ONGC, Vedanta, GAIL, BPCL, NRL, and OIL, filled the 87,200-square-foot expo.  The exhibition highlighted the entrepreneurial spirit of Assam and had 137 MSMEs and startups. The 9,700-square-foot Assam Pavilion, which blended industrial advancements with heritage, was one of the theme pavilions that focused on semiconductors, energy, and innovation.  The public was allowed to watch the show from February 27 to March 1. 

Summit Engagement

Around 46,000 individuals from 75 nations registered for the summit, which reflects high interest in Assam's economic status globally. Twelve bilateral organizations, such as the European Union, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), and IJBC (Indo-Japan Business Council), actively took part, and 67 diplomatic mission heads were present, reflecting strong international collaboration.  Furthermore, over 200 overseas delegates were present at the conference, comprising 128 from Asia, 33 from Europe, 22 from Africa, and a few from Australia, North America, and South America. This reflects growing confidence in Assam's economic prospects on the global stage.

Thematic Sessions

Six ministerial sessions and fourteen thematic sessions on diverse topics, such as infrastructure development, semiconductor industry, energy and sustainability, aerospace and defense manufacturing, tourism and cultural promotion, and MSME and startup development, were part of the summit's 20 target sessions.  These workshops, attended by over 14,500 people, provided a comprehensive road map for industrial and economic growth in Assam.

Leadership Insights

The PM talked about how Assam has emerged as a good destination for investment over the past decade. Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma pointed towards the summit's ability to transform the state. Six Union ministers attended different ministerial sessions at the summit, including Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Communications & DoNER; Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology; Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs; Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry; Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Nitin Gadkari, They appreciated Assam's role in the development of the Northeast as a key growth driver and the progress of India's Act East Policy. Industry leaders also reacted in large numbers to the event.

In the first session, some of the leading personalities from India addressed the gathering, such as Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the Adani Group; Sajjan Jindal, chairman of the JSW Group; Anil Agarwal, chairman of Vedanta Resources; Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons & TATA Group; and Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani, chairman and MD of Reliance Industries. Major MoUs and Investment Commitments Signed: Around Rs.5 lakh crores ($58 billion). With 2,888 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed, 296 of them with major corporations and 2,592 with MSMEs, amounting to Rs.6,774 crores, the summit showed immense faith in the future of Assam.  

The enormous Rs 2, 81,621 crore worth of total investment commitments in different industries comprised of Rs. 1, 04,900 crore for infrastructure development and Rs.1, 25,000 crore from industry leaders.   Assam's growing stature as one of the key destinations for investment is attested to by its impressive turnout.

Major Announcements

A significant shot in the arm to the region's development was indicated by the announcement of Rs. 12,000 crores for the Namrup IV Mega Integrated Urea Project by PM Modi.

Key companies also made huge investments; Reliance Industries committed Rs. 50,000 crores in the retail, hospitality, nuclear, green energy, and AI and hyperscale data centers sectors. With Rs. 50,000 crores allocated for cement, defense, airports, and aerocity development, the Adani Group fulfilled this commitment.  Likewise, the JSW Group committed Rs. 7,000 crores towards thermal and renewable energy developments, while the Vedanta Group announced Rs. 50,000 crores for oil exploration.  The Tata Group also announced plans for expanding semiconductor production, emphasizing electronic manufacturing as critical to Assam's future growth.

New Era for Assam

The Assam 2.0 Summit is a blueprint for Assam's future.  Assam stands ready to become an important commercial and innovation center in India, and the summit has laid the foundation for an unprecedented economic revolution.

In keeping with Prime Minister Modi's Act East Policy, the summit not only cemented Assam's economic foundation but also set it as an entry point to Southeast Asia. As Assam takes center stage in India's economic ambitions, the summit is a key milestone in the growth of the state as a rich gateway to the East.