INDIAN STATE : ASSAM

General Information

Assam is a northeastern state of India. Located just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, it is surrounded by the other northeastern states: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. Assam and its commercial capital Guwahati form the gateway to the northeastern states, together called the seven sisters.

It has the unique Locational advantage of being situated close to South East Asian countries and hence it has the potential to emerge as a strategic base for domestic and foreign investors to tap the vast potential markets of countries like China, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, etc.

Assam's proximity to SAARC countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan gives it the investment potential considering the advantage of border trade with theses countries. Border Trade Centre at Sutarkandi in Karimganj district and Mankachar in Dhubri district have been developed to facilitate border trade with Bangladesh. It has been proposed in the 11th five-year plan to set up two more Border Trade Center, one at Ledo connecting China and other at Darranga connecting Bhutan. There are several Land Custom Stations (LCS) in the state bordering Bangladesh and Bhutan to facilitate border trade.

Border points between Myanmar and North East region have been opened at Moreh (Manipur) and Champhora (Mizoram). Besides, Assam's internal waterway networks connect it to Bangladesh giving it access to the ports of Chittagong (Bangladesh), Kolkata and Haldia (West Bengal).

Industrial scenario has undergone a vast change in Assam. Apart from tea, petroleum and petrochemicals, other industries in various sectors like paper, fertilizer, cement, coke, lime, sugar, engineering, plastic, steel, printing, cosmetics, poultry & dairy products along with handloom and handicraft have thrived in the state. Moreover, with its rich flora and fauna, breathtaking natural beauty, age-old temples and monuments, Assam offers a unique potential for tourism industries for both domestic and foreign market.

Fact File

Climate

Assam has a tropical climate with three seasons viz. the summer months (June to August), the monsoon months (May to October) and the winter/spring months (November to April). The salient features of the average climate are given below:

• Maximum Temperature - 37 degree Celsius
  
• Minimum Temperature - 6 degree Celsius
• Humidity (%) - 78
  
• Annual Rainfall (mm) - 2310

Political and Administrative System

The political system of the state ensures that elected representatives govern the state. The state has 126 Legislative Assembly constituencies and 14 Parliamentary constituencies.

Advantage Assam

• The state is endowed with plenty of natural resources.
• Unique locational advantage of being situated close to South-East Asian countries.
• Assam's proximity to the SAARC countries of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan gives rise to investment potential for foreign investors taking advantage of the dynamic possibilities of intra regional trade through SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement).
• Gateway to the North - East.
• Source of raw material for both agriculture and industry.
  
• Special Government Incentives under the North East Industrial Policy.

Economic Infrastructure

Roadways

Assam has total road length of approximately 69,000 kms. covering both metalled and non-metalled surfaces that accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the total road length in the North-east. National highways connect the major towns in the state. The length of National Highways is 2044 kms while state highway occupy 2028 kms and the other PWD roads occupy 29271 KMs. The East West Corridor spans over 713 Kms in Assam. During the next five years, the government will strive for the development of roads specifically in the industrial areas.

Railways

The total route length is approximately 2435.13 kms. Several services directly connect regions in Assam to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Cochin, Tiruvananthapuram, Chennai and Kolkata. Within the state, all the major towns like Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Nagaon, Guwahati, Tezpur, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, etc. are linked by railways. A number of key meter-gauge railway lines are up-graded to broad gauge. The headquarters of the North-East Frontier Railways is located at Maligaon on the outskirts of Guwahati.

Aviation

Assam is well connected with the rest of India by air. Both private and government owned airlines operate in this sector. There are also regular intra-state air services connecting the six civil airports (Guwahati, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Silchar and North Lakhimpur) of the state. Some of the tea gardens have their own airstrips and aircraft. International flights from Guwahati to Bangkok have been started to boost trade and tourism in the northeast.

Inland Water Transport

Two Government owned organizations (Central Inland Waterways Corporation and Directorate of Inland Waterways, Assam) are operating water transport services on the river Brahmaputra and Barak on commercial basis. These services are used for the transportation of passengers and goods alike. Waterways are the only mode of transport to many places in the hinterlands.

Currently, the Directorate of Inland Water Transport operates 50 ferry services on Brahmaputra and 24 on river Barak. These services cater to the transportation of passengers and goods across the state as also to the neighbouring states. The types of cargo handled mainly are jute, coal, fertilizers, forest, agricultural products, cement, machinery, etc. the present cargo handling capacity of the fleet is nearly 10,000 metric tones.

In order to cater to the growing need for goods and passenger movement, more such ferry services are on the anvil and one of them will travel as far as Bangladesh. Furthermore, the need to augment the fleet has seen the emergence of a number of shipyards, which are currently engaged in the fabrication and maintenance of the ferry vessels.

Telecommunications

The present telecommunication network in the state is growing fast. Currently, individuals and industry alike face no problem in procuring telephone and other telecommunication facilities. Assam has 269 telephone exchange with approximately 1,20,000 working connections. The growth rate approximately matches the demand and the shortfall, if any, is marginal. Mobile telephone services are available in the city of Guwahati.

Housing

Self-sufficient industrial townships exist at Bokajan, Bongaigaon, Digboi, Duliajan, Jagiroad, Namrup, Narengi, Noonmati, Panchgram and Sivasagar. These townships have all modern amenities like housing, schools, hospitals and recreation facilities. Similar townships are being set up at Numaligarh. The houses are relatively modern and equipped with the basic amenities necessary for modern living. Real estate prices are low compared to other states in the country. Assam offers a good quality of life at affordable prices.

Banking and Finance

Almost all the nationalized commercial banks, all India financial institutions and insurance companies have their regional/ zonal offices at Guwahati. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and NABARD have their regional offices at Guwahati. Besides, multinational banks like Standard Charted and premier foreign trade banks like EXIM bank are also operating in India.

Power

Assam has a huge potential for development of infrastructure for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. The Govt. of Assam has embarked on an ambitious programme of reform and restructuring of the State Power Sector. Assam is blessed with abundant reserves of natural gas and potential generation of cheap and eco-friendly power from small hydro-electric stations. Assam can boast of being one of the pioneers in utilisation of natural gas for power generation. Its gas-based station at Namrup has a record of over 30/35 years of silent and efficient generation. Consumption of power in the state is set to increase with the development and opening up of the economy and progressive expansion of the electricity supply network. In addition to plants for expansion and modernisation of its electricity supply infrastructure, the Govt. of Assam has ushered in significant structural changes through establishment of the Regulatory Commission and restructuring of Assam State Electricity Board. The proximity of Assam to the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar etc. has a good prospect for multilateral power exchanges. The total installed capacity of electricity generation plants in the state is 574.4 MWs, while the total generation of electricity is 840.4 MU. The per capita consumption of electricity is 120KWH. The policy of open drawal is adopted in the state and units can draw direct power from National Grid.

Social Infrastructure

Education

Assam has numerous educational institutions with standards of education and training as good as in any other part of the country. A substantial portion of the population in the15 to 25 age group in the major towns are also computer literate.

The state has a literacy rate of 52.89%. The female literacy in this region of 43.03% is higher then the national average of 39.19%. Assam has four universities and one agricultural university. It also has 3 medical colleges and one for aquaculture. The total enrolment figure is approximately 4,00,000 students. With regard to technical education, the state has 4 engineering colleges including an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), 23 vocational training institutes (ITI), 8 polytechnics and 1 junior technical school. These institutes offer specialization options in various disciplines. The state also has a Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) and a Tea Research Institute (TRI) both of which are situated at Jorhat and are of international standards. There are numerous national, regional and state level organisations promoting entrepreneurship development programmes to create a requisite base to take on downstream projects.

Major Industries

Agro- based industries

Assam is an agrarian economy since time immemorial with about 75 per cent of Assam's workforce engaged in agriculture and allied activities. Agriculture roughly contributes 40 per cent to the state GDP. Roughly 40 per cent of the total area is cultivated.

The state government has realized the importance of agriculture in the state economy and is pursuing a drive to make the state self-sufficient in basic foodgrains by educating the cultivators about the need for better methods and high-yield seeds.

Assam is endowed with a favourable climate, plentiful rainfall and a variety of terrains. The North-east in general, and Assam in particular is hence ideally suited for the growth of a variety of food crops like paddy and corn, as also plantation (cash) crops like tea and rubber. Tea from Assam is highly prized in the west, particularly Europe, as a beverage. The abundant forest resources provide timber for such industries as plywood, paper etc and also houses a variety of fruits like banana, pineapple, citrus fruits, guava, papaya etc. These are storehouses of an array of medicinal herbs, which have been used by the natives down the ages. These can be tapped for commercial purpose. Riding on regional advantages, industries like mushrooms; silk-reeling and jute-based products are waiting to be tapped to cater to the burgeoning demand in the domestic and overseas markets. Domestic agricultural know-how and economies of scale; permit the growing of vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbages etc. Interestingly, the waste from this wide array of agro-based industries can be channeled towards manufacturing of medium density fiber (MDF) boards that qualifies as a substitute for plywood and timber. Most of these natural resources have hitherto been tapped to cater primarily to local demand without much of a focus on the wider market economics. New technology, Research & Development, suitable marketing all propped up by ample finance should see the setting up of commercial ventures which would capitalise on these resources to the fullest.

Medicinal herbs and plants

With its vast hills and forests, Assam is the home for a variety of medicinal herbs and plants. About 300 types of medicinal herbs and plants are known to exist in abundance in the state. It was found in a recent survey that the Brahamaputra valley itself has 150 varieties of herbs and plants of commercial value. About 300 types of medicinal herbs and over 600 varieties of orchids are known to exist in abundance in the state. It is estimated that only about 5-10 per cent of the plants and herbs are currently unutilized and the rest holds a vast potential.

Sericulture

The climate and general environment of Assam is well suited to sericulture. Traditional varieties of silk cultured include eri, muga and mulberry. Recently a variety known as Tassar is being cultured on an experimental basis. Being a traditional activity, the local populace is a knowledge base about the intricacies of this fine art particularly in respect of eri and muga. The muga silk, known for its fine sheen and golden colour is used by the local silk weaving industry and this has contributed to the development of the muga culture in the state. With further infusion of capital and modern methods, the state offers a tremendous potential for the development of large-scale industry based on silk. The state government, in its effort to encourage the industry, has established a number of silk processing and spinning units besides a host of other infrastructure necessary for sericulture.

Horticulture and spices

The agro-climatic conditions of the state favour the growth of a variety of fruit and vegetables/ spices including coconut, banana, pineapple, orange, ginger, turmeric, chilies, potatoes, etc. some of the important horticulture/spices produce figures of the state are given below:

With better quality planting material, sufficient research support and better know-how, the state could easily be poised for a major boom in the fruit growing and food processing industry. Market opportunities exist both locally and more so for export.

The state government on its part has given a special thrust to non-perishable produce and has undertaken, on a large scale, an awareness drive that focuses on

• Development of progeny orchards to multiply high quality planting materials.
  
• Expanding the area under horticultural cultivation by demonstration of the cultivation of fruits, spices, vegetables, tuber crops, flower, mushroom, etc. and
  
• Educating the farmers on methods to improve yield and sustain a regenerative propagation model for orchards.

Forest based industries

The state of Assam has a rich forest cover encompassing nearly a quarter of its land area. Roughly half of the forests are reserved. Blessed with plentiful rainfall, the forests are a reserve of such commercially useful produce like timber, bamboo, stone, cane, etc. These products in turn fuel a variety of units producing plywood, matchwood, cement, etc. bamboo and cane have also been to put to good use.

The state is also known for its rich fauna comprising rare and endangered species as well. Two national parks viz. Kaziranga and Manas, besides ten wildlife sanctuaries and one game reserve are located in Assam. These are home to the famous one-horned rhino besides elephants, tigers and others. The potential of these parks as tourist attractions is yet to be realized to their fullest.

Animal husbandry

The weather is well suited to livestock rearing in Assam. The government has undertaken a massive programme to improve the quality of cattle and other livestock through improved feed and a host of biotechnological measures. Most of the livestock are used for meat production, draught for farming purposes, milk production and egg production.

The government is encouraging the populace to undertake this activity on an industrial scale with an aim to speed up development of this sector.

Mineral based industry

The state is endowed with plenty of natural resources with crude oil (reserve-158 million tonnes) being the chief among them. The state accounts for about 15 per cent of India's crude output. The wells at Digboi, Duliajan, Sivasagar etc. also produce natural gas (reserve-156 billion cu. mtrs.) accounting for about 50 per cent of India's total onshore production, which may be used as feedstock for production of fertilizers, electricity and petrochemicals, and also as fuel in the tea industries.

Limestone with reserves of about 500 million tonnes is another important resource and is available in various grades. The China clay available in the Karbi- Anglong district is a vital input for the ceramics industry has already spawned a few small plants. Deposits of decorative stones like granite, estimated to be more than a billion cubic meters are available in various shades and colours, which have a huge market potential locally and abroad.

Coal reserves account for more than 250 tonnes. The coal found in upper Assam and the central Assam highlands have high sulphur content and high volatile matter content, which can be used in:

• Thermal power plants based on modern technology, which will take care of the high sulphur content.
  
• Fertilizer production based on gasification of coal.
  
• Coal slurry to replace furnace oil
  
• Electro-metallurgical grade coke, etc.

Tourism

To nature lovers all over the world, wildlife enthusiasts, sightseers, ornithologists and photographers, Assam is a dream destination. Its natural landscape, lush green forests, wild life sanctuaries, pilgrimage spots and tea gardens offer a wide choice to cater to the tastes of a variety of tourists from the casual sightseer to the adventure tourist. With the withdrawal of the Restricted Area Permit (RAP), tourism is poised for a major boom. A few tourist destination in the state are given below:

Policy Framework

Assam Industrial Policy 2003

The policy has been made effective from 1st October 2003 and will be valid for a period of five years i.e. up to 30th September 2008 unless modified /terminated earlier.

Aims and objectives

The Industrial Policy of Assam, 2003 is formulated to achieve the following aims and objectives:

• Increase the share of the industrial sector to the State Domestic Product (SDP) from the present level of 13.29% to a level of at least 18% at the end of the terminal year of the Policy.
• Generate more employment opportunities in the State.
• Ensure development of adequate and appropriate infrastructures for industrial growth.
• Make Assam one of the preferred destinations for investment for outside investors.
• Encourage private investment in Industrial infrastructure projects.
  
• Ensure industrial development in hitherto industrially backward regions of the state.
  
• Create avenues for sustained growth and development of the Small Scale and tiny sectors.
  
• Catalyze administrative and legal reforms with a view to simplify the procedure and to ensure time bound disposal of matters.
• Take steps to promote rural handicrafts so as to conserve and enrich cultural heritage, traditions and customs of the state.
• Promote establishment of medium and large-scale mother industries to create an industrial base, offering large-scale employment opportunities through backward and forward linkages.
  
• Promote Information Technology, high-tech, knowledge based and biotech industries.
  
• Promote export oriented industrial units.
• Take steps to revive the potentially viable sick Public Sector Undertakings and to make the Public Sector Undertakings economically viable.
• Provide Single Window Clearance system for fast track clearance of industrial proposals.

Full text of the policy

Information Technology Policy 2000

The basic objectives of the Information Technology Policy of Assam shall be:

• Accord primacy for the growth of Information Technology industry in the State
• Accelerate the use of Information Technology at the Government Level with a view to provide better services to the citizens of the state
• Improve productivity and efficiency of the Government services to the citizens of the state
• Serve as an important tool to enhance employability as well as to absorb a major portion of the educated unemployed in the state
• Enable the state reach an eminent position in the Information Technology sector
• Encourage and accelerate the growth of both the domestic and the export oriented IT units in the state and make the state an attractive destination for IT investment within India and abroad
• Encourage and accelerate the use of Information Technology in schools, colleges and educational institutions in the state to enable the youth to acquire necessary skills and knowledge in this sector making them highly employable
• Specialized training institutes in private sector and the joint sector in order to prepare skilled manpower within the existing system;
• Organize Manpower Development Training Programme (MDTP) in the field of Computer Applications for the successful implementation of the Information Technology Policy of Assam.
• Develop appropriate networks between various departments and different spatially spread out administrative hierarchies through well designed database management system; and
• Encourage the spread of IT in the private sector.

Salient features of the policy

The salient features for the Information Technology Policy of Assam shall be:

• The Industry & Commerce Department would function as nodal department for implementation of the IT policy, which would co-ordinate with all the other departments of the Government of Assam in order to ensure that the detailed objectives and goals of the IT Policy are achieved.
• The Government shall endeavor to have connectivity among all its offices within 2004 so that communication can flow through e-mail/ video conferencing etc to enhance productivity. The Government shall endeavor to provide video conferencing & e-mail facilities in all district head quarters to enable communication with the State Secretariat.
• The Government shall endeavor to improve the process of governance so that citizens could file their documents required by the Government electronically. Web applications would be developed in the local language of the State.
• The Government shall endeavor to put in place training programme to enable all government employees to use Information Technology to enhance productivity.
• The Government shall make a special budget allocation of at least 2-3% of the plan fund allocated to the Government departments every year to complete its computerisation programmes in each Department. An IT sub-plan would be formulated department-wise and closely monitored
• The Government shall improve infrastructure such as laying of communication cables for interconnecting the departments, setting up of data transfer exchanges, routers, gateways etc, and ensure reliable power supply, transport system etc to improve the quality of works.
• The Government shall encourage the use of Information Technology in all educational institutions by way of giving special grants every year to enable them to put up the necessary infrastructure.
• The Government shall with the help of the industry start training programmes for teachers to help them use information technology in the teaching process.
• The Government shall endeavor to teach the school level children the use of computers and to impart training through computers.
• The Government shall endeavor to increase the number of college students specialising in Information Technology to meet the needs of the Information Technology industry to cater to both the export and domestic market. The syllabi for specialisation in computer education would be standardized and recognised to make in more relevant. The education department would monitor the placements on offer and make suitable changes in the design of courses according to the needs of the jobs.
• The Government shall strengthen the Assam Electronic Development Corporation Ltd (AEDC Ltd). AEDC will play the role of facilitator and assist various Government departments in selection of appropriate Hardware, Software and training programmes in accordance with their needs.
• For specialised training in emerging areas of Computer and Communication Technology the Government shall consider sponsoring employees of various Government departments, undertakings, autonomous organisations and other non-governmental organisations to institutions situated within or outside the State. All efforts would be made to set-up an autonomous IIIT at Guwahati with assistance from Private sector and Union Government.

Full text of the policy

Thrust Areas

• Petroleum and natural gas based industries
  
• Industries based on locally available minerals
  
• Processing of plantation crops
  
• Food processing industries
  
• Agri-Horticulture products
  
• Herbal products
  
• Biotech products
  
• Pharmaceuticals
  
• Chemical and Plastic based industries
  
• Export oriented industries
  
• Electronic and IT base industries including services sector
  
• Textiles and sericulture
  
• Engineering industries
  
• Cane and bamboo based industries
  
• Other handicrafts industry

Investment Opportunities

IT Sector

• Call centres
  
• GIS services
  
• Back- office processing

Tourism

• Hotels and Resorts
  
• River Cruises
  
• Adventure Tourism
  
• Pilgrim Tourism
  
• Golf Tourism

Agro- Horti & Food Processing Sector

• Export of fruits and vegetables
  
• Spice & aromatic products based unit
  
• Floriculture, medicinal and herbal plants
  
• Agri export zones for orange, joha rice

Promotion Of Bamboo Industries

• Bamboo boards, flooring, furniture
  
• Bamboo corrugated sheets
  
• Construction material

Bio Technology Sector

• Bio- technology park

Investment Incentives

Fiscal incentives under industrial policies

A. Incentives Under North East Industrial Policy

• Capital investment subsidy of 15% on plant and machinery subject to a maximum ceiling of US$ 65,099.89
  
• Subsidy on transportation of raw materials and finished products at the rate of ninety percent ad fifty percent respectively.
  
• Interest subsidy of 3% on working capital loan.
  
• Income tax holiday for a period of five years.

B. Investment Incentives as according to the New Industrial Policy, 2003 of Govt. of Assam

• Capital investment subsidy of 30% on plant and machinery subject to a ceiling of US$ 43,354.21
  
• Interest subsidy at the rate of 30 percent will be provided on the amount of interest paid to banks on working capital loan.
  
• Subsidy at the rate of 50% of the cost of generating power will be provided subject to a ceiling of Rs. ten lakh. (1million)
  
• The fee payable for obtaining BIS/ ISO/FPO/AGMARK certification and fee payable for getting the technical know-how from approved and recognized organizations will be subsidized to the extent of 75% subject to a ceiling of US$ 2168.04
  
• Power subsidy will be provided to the eligible units on the power tariff paid against the actual units consumed for a period of five years subject to a ceiling of certain specified limits.

Other Incentives

• Capital investment subsidy at the rate of 25% of the total project cost under Scheme for Promotion of Industrialization for North-East (SPINE).
  
• Export Development Fund for development of Export oriented projects.
  
• Special Capital Investment subsidy from Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India.

Industrial/ Export Infrastructure

Software Technology Park

A Software Technology Park has been set up at Guwahati near the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi airport. This park at Guwahati is similar to the ones set up at Noida, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar by Software Technology Park of India Ltd, a Govt. of India organization.

Export Promotion Industrial Park

AIDC has implemented an Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) at Amingaon near Guwahati in the district of Kamrup at an estimated cost of Rs. 14.62 crores. The foundation stone of the Project was laid down on 26th December 1996 and the project was completed and inaugurated on 3/2/2000. The Export Promotion Industrial Park developed to provide infrastructural facilities of high standard for export oriented units.

The basic objectives of EPIP are:

• Build and provide industrial infrastructural facilities in an integrated manner.
  
• Encourage growth of export oriented industrial units in the state.
  
• Sustain the involvement and interest of the state govt. in building and maintain such facilities.

The important features of the EPIP are:

• The park will provide developed plots and industrial sheds with power, water, road sewerage and drainage, telecommunication and other requisite facilities.
• The park is located at Amingaon within Greater Guwahati and adjacent to Inland Container Depot. The Guwahati Airport is 15 kms. away from the site.
  
• Allotment of plots will be made to non-polluting industries only.

The total area of the park is 68.10 acres. AIDC has constructed three industrial sheds and allotted to three industrial units. Today, the park has the presence of 37 companies and firms out of which 17 are having manufacturing activities.

Food Processing Park

The Government of India has sanctioned a food-processing park with a total project cost of Rs. 5.95. The park is being set up near Chaygaon in the district of Kamrup (rural). The implementing agency for the FP is Assam Small Industries Development Corporation Ltd.

Agri Export Zone for Ginger

The Government of India has sanctioned an Agri Export Zone for fresh & processed Ginger for the State in February 2003. The Nodal Agency for implementing this project is Assam Industrial Development Corporation Ltd.

Industrial Growth Centres

Industrial Growth Centres with high standard infrastructure are being set up at Balipara in Sonitpur district and Matia in Goalpara. Both the growth centers would be having excellent approach and internal roads, dedicated power lines, adequate water supply, communication facilities and central effluent treatment plants. Besides, the centres would be having facilities such as banks, post office, fire station, police station etc.

Salient feature of the above two Growth Centres

Matia

• Total project cost: Rs. 22.00 crores
  
• Total area: 700 acres (around 450 acres is being proposed to be developed)
  
• 18 kms. away from the heart of the Goalpara town
  
• 135 kms. away from the heart of Guwahati city
  
• 110 kms. from Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi (Borjhar) International Airport
  
• 18 kms. from Goalpara Railway Station

Balipara

• Total Project cost: Rs. 25.44 crores
  
• Total area: 400 acres
  
• 15 kms. away from heart of the Tezpur town
  
• 200 kms. from Saloni (Tezpur) Airport
  
• 7 kms. from Balipara Railway Station
  
• 2 kms. away from NH - 52

IID Centre at Bhomoraguri / Naltali, District Nagaon

The Central Government has approved setting up of an Integrated Infrastructure Development (IID) Centre at Bhomoraguri / Naltali in Nagaon district at a project cost of Rs. 510.00 lakh. The Government land measuring 41 acres has already been taken over. The foundation stone of the project was laid down on 10th January 2001 and activities for various infrastructure developments are nearing completion.

IID Centre at Dalgaon, District Darrang

The Government of India has approved setting up of an Integrated Infrastructure
Development (IID) Centre at Dalgaon in Darrang District at a project cost of Rs. 418.00 lakh. The Government land measuring 35 acres has already been taken over and the project works are in progress and nearing completion.

New IID Centres

IID Centre at Demow, District Sivasagar

The Govt. of India has sanctioned a IID Centre at Demow in the Sivasagar District at a cost of Rs. 470.00 lakh. Land measuring 111 Bihgas at Demow has been taken over for the project. The foundation stone for the project has been laid on 23rd July, 2003.

IID Centre at Malinibeel, District Cachar

The Govt. of India has sanctioned another IID Centre at Malinibeel in the District of Cachar. An area of 90 Bighas of land have already been taken over by AIDC for the project. The total cost of the project has been estimated at Rs. 510 lakh.

Proposed IID Centres

• Titabor in the district of Jorhat
  
• Rangia in the district of Kamrup
  
• North Lakhimpur in the district of Lakhimpur

Border Trade Centre, Mankachar, District Dhubri

The Govt. of India has approved setting up of a Border Trade Centre at Mankachar in Dhubri district at a project cost of Rs. 426.00 lakh. This BTC is going to be implemented by AIDC Ltd.

Border Trade Centre, Sutarkandi, District Karimganj

The Govt. of India has approved setting up of a Border Trade Centre at Sutarkandi in Karimganj district bordering Bangladesh at a project cost of Rs. 8.16 crores. The project is being implemented by Assam Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.

Border Trade Centre, Darranga, District Kamrup

AIDC has prepared a project proposal for establishment of a Border Trade Centre at Darranga bordering Bhutan considering the increasing Border Trade with neighbouring Bhutan. The project cost has been estimated at Rs. 18.00 crores. The project proposal has already been submitted to Govt. of India for its approval.

Useful web links

Government of Assam
Department of industries and commerce, Govt. of Assam