Australia Removes Travel Restrictions For Assam Ahead Of Infra, Investment Summit

Australia has lifted travel restrictions for Assam, while Germany is in the process of revising its advisory. However, restrictions will remain in place for four districts - Tinsukia, Charaideo, Sivasagar, and Dibrugarh - where the Disturbed Areas Act is still enforced due to the presence of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA.

"I told you earlier that Australia and Germany had begun reviewing their travel advisories for Assam. Now, Australia has officially updated its guidelines, allowing travel across the state except for the four districts where AFSPA remains in effect. Previously, the advisory covered all of Assam, but now it is limited to these specific districts," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in Guwahati on Thursday.

Mr Sarma said the Australian High Commissioner assured that once AFSPA is lifted from these four districts, Australia will fully remove its travel advisory. Germany is expected to announce a modification soon.

Global Delegation To Visit Assam

The announcement comes ahead of a major diplomatic event in Assam. A delegation of 35 heads of missions will visit the state, led by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The number is expected to increase to 50.

The Prime Minister's Office arranged a special aircraft for their travel, with expenses covered by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The delegation will arrive in Kaziranga on February 23, attend the Jhumur performance on February 24, and participate in the inaugural session of Advantage Assam 2.0 in Khanapara on February 25. They will return to New Delhi on the same night.

The delegation includes representatives from Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Rwanda, Sweden, Syria, Sudan, Thailand, and Singapore. Some additional countries are also expected to participate.

PM Modi To Inaugurate Advantage Assam 2.0

Following the Jhumur event at Sarusajai on February 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the exhibition grounds. He is expected to explore two exhibition halls - Pride of Assam, and Future of Assam - before inaugurating Advantage Assam 2.0 on February 25.

Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, and prominent industrialists will be part of the audience.

Two entrepreneurs from Assam - Abhijit Baruah (Oxygen producer) and Anupam Deka (founder of Repose) will speak in the inaugural function. Other prominent personalities who will be the key speakers of the function are - Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty (CEO, Greenko Group); Prashant Ruia (CEO, Essar Group); Sajjan Jindal (MD, JSW Group); Anil Agarwal (Chairman, Vedanta Group); Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani, and Natarajan Chandrasekaran.

The inaugural function will conclude with the Prime Minister's address.

Massive Business Interest In Assam's Growth

Over 18,505 people have registered for Advantage Assam 2.0, with 15,000 approvals. Additionally, 394 participants expressed interest in business-to-government (B2G) sessions, while 452 were keen on business-to-business (B2B) meetings - figures comparable to Gujarat's investment summits.

On February 23, the Assam Cabinet will review MoU requests to ensure only credible agreements are signed. Along with investment deals, proposals have been received to establish hospitals and universities in Assam. Singapore has already begun investing in Assam's logistics sector.

A total of 1,512 MoU requests have been received, along with 11,900 expressions of interest from Assam's MSMEs. The central government is expected to announce new infrastructure projects during the event.

Key Sessions At Advantage Assam 2.0

The event will feature several high-profile sessions, including "i-way to Developed Assam" to be addressed by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, featuring telecom and foreign industry leaders; "Act East, Act First, Act Fast" - with participation from ambassadors and high commissioners, keynote by S Jaishankar; "semiconductor Industry" to be led by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and hydrocarbon sector to be addressed by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

There will be sessions on transport, railways, and shipping which will be virtually attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and export promotion to be led by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

There will be a session on Bhutan-India Cooperation featuring Bhutan's Agriculture Minister and a 12-member Bhutanese delegation.

The valedictory session will be presided over by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, highlighting the proposed semiconductor industry in Jagiroad and the Numaligarh Bamboo Refinery.

Senior officials from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, New Development Bank, and International Finance Corporation are expected to attend. Discussions will also focus on land and financial assistance for investors, with 2,200 attendees, including MSME entrepreneurs and beneficiaries of state and central government schemes.

Showcasing Assam's Strengths

The summit will feature thematic sessions on aero-defence, aerospace, the aroma industry, and Assam's economic future. A special session will commemorate 200 years of Assam tea, focusing on strategies to restore its global dominance amid declining quality.

Additional sessions will discuss global platforms for MSMEs and One District, One Product (ODOP), Ayush, fragrance, and flavours industry growth and medical tourism and Assam as a global healthcare destination.

The public exhibition opens on February 27.