Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening inaugurated an exhibition showcasing Assam’s traditional strengths and future potential, a day ahead of a big-ticket business summit commencing in the state.
From the famous ‘Muga’ silk of Assam to new-age robotics technology, a diverse range of products drew Modi’s attention as he visited the stalls and interacted with the participants.
Officials associated with the ‘Assam Advantage 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit 2025’ said a major highlight of the exhibition is showcasing the host state, “with focus on its traditional strengths and future potential”.
Modi visited the exhibition hall titled ‘Assam – Past, Present and Future’, which presents glimpses of the state’s traditional industries as well as present infrastructure projects.
“Ours was the first stall that the prime minister came to, and he showed interest in knowing more about Assam silk,” Sreyanshi, a designer with the Guwahati-based brand ‘Golden Threads of Assam’, told PTI.
She said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was accompanying the PM, briefed him on the uniqueness of Assam silk, especially ‘Muga’.
“The PM wanted to know in detail about ‘Muga’, as the chief minister explained to him how products have diversified from traditional ‘mekhela-sador’ to items like kurtis and cushion covers to reach a wider market,” she said.
A Golgahat-based Agar perfume manufacturer’s stall also caught Modi’s attention.
“The prime minister was curious about Agar wood and its use in extracting high-quality perfume. He wanted to know whether it is found in other states as well, to which he was informed that Assam is the major producer of this particular tree,” Pakeeza Rahman, director of the MJI Group, said.
She said the Agar perfumes being produced by their company is being promoted under the ‘One District One Product’ initiative, and the Group will soon start exporting the product to other countries.
New-age technology-based products coming up in the state was another area that the PM showed interest in at the exhibition, as he visited a stall by a start-up working in the robotics sector for deployment in defence.
“It was a great experience to see the PM being interested in our work,” Arnab Barman, founder and CEO of Defence and Space Robotics Laboratory (DSRL), told PTI.
Among the other stalls Modi visited include those on tourism and forest resources, local entrepreneurs-led companies working in tea sector, organic farming and water hyacinth-based products, OIL, NRL and the Tata Group.
The prime minister will be inaugurating the summit on Tuesday, in presence of heads of missions of over 60 nations, Union ministers, chief ministers, top industry leaders and business delegations from different countries.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will address the valedictory session on Wednesday.
Investment proposals worth Rs 1.22 lakh crore, which were approved by the state cabinet on Sunday, are likely to be signed during the summit, Sarma had said.
Modi arrived in Guwahati earlier on Monday and attended a mega ‘Jhumur’ dance performance by nearly 9,000 artistes of the tea tribe community.
