Assam one of India''s most investor-friendly states: CM Sarbananda Sonowal

Assam is one of the most investor-friendly states in the country with diversity of culture being its hallmark, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Sunday.

There is a spirit of brotherhood among people of different communities and religions living in the state, Sonowal said, before inaugurating an additional Assam Bhavan building here. The northeastern state is also a hotseat of biodiversity, the chief minister said.

"Prior to Narendra Modi taking over as Prime Minister in 2014, there was a perception among the people of the country that Assam and the northeast meant terrorism, bomb blast, kidnapping, killing and unrest everywhere," he said. Prime Minister Modi has helped change the perception, Sonowal said.

Assam and the northeast is the country's new growth engine, the chief minister said. Guwahati is aiming to become the gateway of southeast Asia and not just the northeastern region, Sonowal said. Bangladesh and Bhutan have already set up deputy high commission and consulate in the Assam capital and Israel is also in the process of doing so, the chief minister said.

State Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Assam is on an unprecedented growth path with betterment of health, educational and road infrastructure. "In the last four years, several medical and engineering colleges have been set up and cancer hospitals with ultra-modern facilities are coming up," he said. Sarma said that Rs 25 crore was spent in building the new 10-storeyed Assam Bhavan building at Salt Lake here.