Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to ASEAN countries, and neighbours- Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, to invest in the northeast. Inaugurating the 'Advantage Assam: Global Investors' Summit' in Guwahati, he said, “The Act East Policy envisions increased people-to-people contract, trade ties and other relations with ASEAN countries.” He said, “Assam has been ranked first in the 'Ease of Doing Business' and is the most sought after state for investment at present.”
In the summit that was attended by government and business delegates from India and 13 different countries, the PM said, “Ties between India and the ASEAN countries go back thousands of years. It was a privilege for India to host the heads of 10 ASEAN countries as honoured guests at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.” He recalled the recent ASEAN-India Commemmorative Summit hosted to celebrate 25 years of partnership between ASEAN and India, describing it as a “comprehensive vision” of cooperation between ASEAN countries and the benefits that their people get through such action.
“Whether it's the ASEAN countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan or Nepal, we are all, in one way or another, dominantly agrarian economies. So the unity of our farmers in these regions can propel us to new heights,” the PM added. He reiterated his government's development strategy of “transformation through transportation”.
