Advantage Assam 2.0: Australia Revises Travel Advisory for Assam as AFSPA Remains in 4 Districts

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced that the Australian embassy has reviewed and modified its travel advisories for Assam. This decision comes as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) now remains in effect only in Tinsukia, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, and Sivasagar districts. Previously, travel restrictions were imposed across Assam, but the embassies have now lifted them.

The Chief Minister expressed optimism that the German embassy would follow suit ahead of the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit.

Foreign Delegations and Key Events

Several foreign delegations from Bangladesh, Botswana, Bulgaria, Chad, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Finland, Guinea, Iceland, Ireland, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Maldives, North Macedonia, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Sweden, Germany, Israel, Italy, Iraq, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Sudan, Thailand, Singapore, and Australia, among others, are expected to participate in the cultural and business events.

The delegates will stay in Kaziranga before attending the traditional Jhumur Dance event on February 24 and the Advantage Assam summit on February 25, before returning to Delhi.

“Our traditional Jhumur Dance is going to be historic as, apart from PM Modi and Union Ministers, a delegation of 35 heads of missions led by Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and their spouses will witness the performance. This delegation may go up to 50. This is unprecedented, as the Union Minister has never led such a delegation in any other state. A special aircraft has been allocated by the Prime Minister’s Office, and the expenses will be borne by the Ministry of External Affairs,” said CM Sarma.

Live: Addressing Press Conference at Media Centre, Lok Sewa Bhawan, Dispur https://t.co/GJosQKNsFm

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 20, 2025

Key Highlights of the Event

• Assamese entrepreneurs Abhijit Baruah (Oxygen Production) and Anupam Deka (Owner of Repose) will deliver speeches.

• Greenko Group’s Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty will also be one of the speakers.

• Eminent industrialists, including SR Group’s Chairman, Jindal Group’s Chairman, Chairman of Vedanta Resources Limited, Gautam Adani, and Mukesh Ambani, along with Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Group, will address the event.

• Savitri Jindal, the richest woman in the country and a native of Assam’s Tinsukia, will be present at the inaugural session.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also address the event.

• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will speak on semiconductors.

• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will discuss road infrastructure, while Sarbananda Sonowal will focus on water transport.

Details of the Event...Click here

Exhibitions & Cultural Events

• A night exhibition featuring Jhumur Dance will be held.

• The exhibition will include two galleries: one showcasing Assam’s traditional heritage and another depicting its future development.

• The exhibition will be open to the public from February 27 to March 1 at Advantage Assam venues.

• Sankardev Kalakshetra, Cultural Directorate, and Sarusajai Stadium will host Jhumur Dance performances for the general public.

PM Modi’s Visit

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Khanapara on February 25 at 10:45 AM.

• He will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Registrations & MOUs

• 18,575 registrations have been received for the event.

• 394 applications for B2G (Business-to-Government) meetings and 457 applications for B2B (Business-to-Business) meetings have been submitted.

• Numerous applications for Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) have been received.

• The state cabinet on February 23 will finalize which MOUs will be signed.

• Companies including Azim Premji Foundation and Vedanta Group have applied for MOUs.

• Senior representatives from Japan, Singapore, and South Korea will attend.

• A total of 1,512 MOUs have been applied for, with Rs 12,000 crore worth of agreements requested by Assam’s small-scale industries.

Additionally, the final Jhumur rehearsal will take place on February 23, and the public will be allowed to witness it without requiring passes.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also announced that the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections will be held in September.

Also Read: Assam CM Inspects Khanapara Venue Ahead of Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit