Assam Showcases Rich Heritage and Investment Opportunities at IITF 2023

Dilip Guha, New Delhi: The two-week-long India International Trade Fair (IITF) in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan was open for business visitors for five days from November 14. Now, the fair is thrown open for the general public which is taking place from November 14-27, 2023.

With almost 3,500 exhibitors across the country and abroad, the Organiser expected the fair is likely to attract around 40,000 visitors each day and could swell to around one lakh visitors per day during weekends and holidays.

The theme of this year’s IITF is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – United by Trade” which means that the world is one family and trade can bring people together.

In Line with The Theme Of IITF-2023 ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam-United by Trade’, Assam Pavilion reflects the essence of Assam – a land blessed with rich historical trades, blended with multi-culture, and multi-ethnic identities. The exhibit showcases various initiatives like One District One Product, GI products such as Assam Lemon, Gamusa, Muga silk, etc. along with traditional dresses of Assam, Ease of Doing Business, Assam Start Up, etc are being displayed and promoted in the Fair.

Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries & Commerce Department, Govt of Assam Dr. Ravi Kota inaugurated the Assam Pavilion at the 42nd India International Trade Fair 2023 at Pragati Maidan last Tuesday.

Later, talking to media persons, the Additional Chief Secretary said that the IITF is a big platform to showcase Assam’s rich heritage, its resources, and splendour to the rest of the world. He exuded optimism that the Assam Pavilion with different stalls would become the cynosure of all eyes.

One of the major attractions at the theme pavilion, to commemorate 200 years of Assam Tea, the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) showcased the rich heritage of Assam tea. Live-in demonstrations of Muga yarn reeling and water hyacinth products are also showcased in the theme pavilion.

The Assam Pavilion also showcased the unique efforts initiated by Hon’ble Chief Minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, such as the largest Bihu performance held on 14 April 2023 which got recognition by the Guinness World Record, and Amrit Brikshya Andolan that witnessed the plantation of 1 crore commercial saplings within 3 hours. Assam Government is represented in the IITF’2023 vide Industries, Commerce, and Public Enterprise department as a nodal department. This year five Government Departments/PSUs (DIPR, Tourism, NEDFi, AIDC Ltd., AGMC), 30 MSME units, and two Start-Ups participated in the Assam Pavilion.

A press release states that the theme assumes special significance in highlighting the state’s persistent efforts towards e-governance and investor-friendly initiatives to meet global standards.

Of late, the incentives offered by the Government of Assam under the Assam Industrial and Investment Policy (Amendment) 2023 attracted Mega investments of Rs 100 crore plus. So far, 14 MoUs signed with about Rs 11,315 crore worth of investment that would create more than 11000 jobs in the State. These industries range from steel, cement, bio-methanol, Agro-processing, etc. At this juncture, the participation of Assam in IITF 2023 would help increase the visibility of investment opportunities in the State, and more industries are expected to roll out their plans in the next 5-6 months as per the release.