Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the first ever Guwahati office of Singapore government-owned infrastructure consultancy firm, Surbana Jurong.
Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong was present at the inauguration ceremony held at Dispur on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, CM Sarma said that the corporate office of the Singapore firm in Guwahati would mark a significant milestone in India’s Act East Policy and expressed hope that it will turn out to be an important centre for entire North East.
The Assam CM said that the office has given employment opportunities to several youths of the state. He also expressed hope that in the coming years, other multinational companies will also come forward to set up their business establishments in the state.
The Chief Minister said, “As an offshoot of the Act East Policy propounded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Guwahati has become a nerve centre of trade and business. Therefore, setting up of the corporate office of Surbana Jurong would augur well for the exchange of trade relations between the North East and other ASEAN countries.”
Meanwhile, the Simon Wong said, "We're happy that our first MNC is setting foot in Assam and using this as a corporate office to work the Singapore magic in Northeast. We believe in PM Modi's Act East Policy and want to support his efforts and his vision of Northeast."
Apart from Simon Wong, Chief Operations Officer of Surbana Jurong Dr Uma Maheswaran, Executive Director (India) Surbana Jurong Andrew McKune, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary to Industry and Commerce Dr Lakshamanan S were other dignitaries present at the occasion.
Surbana Jurong, a global urban, infrastructure, and managed services consulting firm is associated with important projects like Guwahati-North Guwahati connecting bridge over the Brahmaputra and others.
Assam lies at the heart of India's "Act East Policy" which envisions strengthening trade links and people-to-people ties between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
