India,Japan ties and the role of Assam and the North-East
India,Japan
ties and the role of Assam and the North-East
Under
the Act East Policy,the Centrel Government has taken various steps to take the
North-East, including Assam,forward on the path of development.On 15th
February,2021, Japan's Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki took part in a symposium along
with the External Affairs Minister of India,Dr.S.Jaishankar, Chief
Minister of Assam Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal and other top ranking officials of
Assam Government held at "Srimanta Sankardev Kalakhetra",Guwahati and
spoke on Japan's collaboration in the state of Assam and the
North-East.The focal topic of the Symposium was on "Act East Policy and
India-Japan co-operation in North-East India with a special focus on
Assam".The Symposium also plans to take forward more development work in
Assam in co-operation with Japan in the near future.According to the
information, released by the External Affairs Minister Dr.S.Jaishankar,
projects worth about Rs 9,000 crore are currently underway in Assam in
co-operation with Japan.He also said that-the Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge will link
Assam and Meghalaya over the Brahmaputra River, adequately shortening the
travel time from more than 8 hours to less than 30 minutes.
Japan
has offered a loan of Rs 1600 crore for construction of this bridge.Japan's
Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki said Japan has expressed interest in investing
in Assam,but it requires improving the infrastructure.Ambassador Suzuki
stressed that the prospective and potentialities of Assam and the North-East
situated in an important location to realize their vision for a free,open and
inclusive Indo-Pacific,needs to be fully tapped in India's quest towards the
five trillion dollar economy.The External Affairs Minister said that Assam is the
bridge between India and various countries of the world.It is also playing a
remarkable role in the field of Korea and Japan.The main objective of the Act
East Policy is to create communication infrastructure between Assam and the
rest of the North East.This will allow the region to be connected by land,water
and air to South-East Asian countries as well as Myanmar, Bangladesh, and
Japan.
Noting
the importance of Assam in the Act East Policy,the External Affairs Minister
said that Assam can play an indispensable role in various issues including
transport,power and electricity.The work of connecting Assam with the Bay of
Bengal through the Brahmaputra River and the ports of neighbouring countries is
being progressed at full speed.Three-way highway works is in process through
India, Myanmar and Thailand. Completion of this will make it easier to send
goods from different districts of Assam to neighbouring states.
Japan's
Ambassador,Satoshi Suzuki stated "Japan couldn't have risen
from the ashes of the second world war, without the kind support of India....I
would like to talk about this region from a bit larger perspective.For India to
achieve the 5 trillion dollar economy,the development of North-East is
indispensable.I am sure India is driving and mobilizing all its capacities and
resources for this goal.I believe that the abundant human and natural resources
as well as rich diversity of Assam are no exception and needed to be tapped to
their full potential.I came here today to say that Japan stands together with
you to this land." [1]Chief Minister of Assam Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal said
Japan was given special importance at the global Investment Summit held in
2018.Japan is a notable investment[1]
and commercial partner of India but there isn't much trade relationship between
Assam and Japan except for tea exports.However Japan has been co-ordinating in
implementing projects in various infrastructure in the state.As a result the
infrastructure of Assam has developed.
There
is a lot of investment potential in Assam.Assam and Japan will both benefit
from increased investment.Speaking on the occasion Dr.Himanta Biswa Sharma
commented that the event has started a new chapter in the economic and social
history of the state.Through this,the Act East Policy will get a special
dimension.He added that in 2017,the Indo-Japan Act East Forum was formed under
the initiative of the External Affairs Minister Dr. S.Jaishankar.The forum
has been formed to give a new dimension to India-Japan relations through the
Act East Policy in North-East India.This forum has identified various
development areas in the North-East.Noting that Assam is ready for
implementation of the Act East Policy,he said Assam is a source of
wealth.Assam's tea is world famous.Assam also has the third position in the
country in terms of rubber production.Similarly,Assam is rich in oil and
natural gas.He said projects worth about Rs 3,875 crore have been taken up in
the health sector of Assam in co-operation with Japan's institution Japan
International Co-operation Agency (JICA).The amount of JICA investment in these
projects is Rs 3,100 crore.Assam will become a hub for medical care for
neighbouring countries through these projects to be implemented in the health
sector in co-operation with JICA.
It
is easy to understand from the Symposium that Assam will play a pivotal
role in India's attempts to conjugate with and benefit from new markets in
South-Asian countries such as Myanmar and Vietnam.Japan's Ambassador Suzuki
Satoshi noted that entrepreneurs from foreign countries have expressed interest
in investing in Assam and Japan has made a promise to provide a helping hand to
Assam in the adequate infrastructure required for such investment.In this
regard we can say that it will help in speeding up the development of
Assam.Assam is prosperous in oil, natural resources and refined petroleum
products.The Government has started to focus on how these resources can be sent
to other states.They have taken some steps such as building a pipeline to
Bangladesh to supply high speed diesel with the help of Japan.The Brahmaputra
River is the prime channel for movement of goods and people in an area ranging
from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal through Island water connectivity to
the key ports of Chittagong and Mongla in Bangladesh.New Delhi aims to make
Assam the centre for communication of excess power to the neighborhood and work
is on to grow new transmission lines connecting Assam with Bihar through
Bangladesh.Assam has the potential to become the centre of a hub covering
Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan and India has worked to harmonize with Japan's
projects in these three countries.Japan's Ambassador Suzuki Satoshi said
,"the North -East is situated where India's Act East Policy and Japan's
vision for a free and open Indo -Pacific converge."He continued,"to
be 'free and open' is critical here in Assam.That is why Japan is supporting
various connectivity projects in this state."These remarks by Satoshi
Suzuki undershine the significance attached by new Delhi and Tokyo to Assam and
the North-East in their connectivity projects.
References:
1.Borah
Rupakjyoti Dr. (2021,Feb 16). 'India-Japan free and open Indo-Pacific
Vision':The AssamTribune 2021/February/16/http://epaper .Assam tribune.com
2.Speech
by Japan’s Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki “Why does Japan Supports the state of
Assam and the North-East?”Guwahati,Assam,15th February,2021.
.http://usdocworkspace.com/d/SAEIelvoG.7KtPPHGS6enFA
Papori
Borah
MA
1st Semester
Dibrugarh University
[1]
Speech by Japan’s Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki “Why does Japan Supports the state
of Assam and the North-East?”Guwahati,Assam,15th February,2021.
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