Assam Minister for Industry and Commerce Bhubaneswar Kalita said that only by following the twin objectives of building modern industries, and modernising the traditional cottage and small scale industries, Assam can hope to over its problem of economic backwardness and solve its acute employment problem.

The Minister said, our younger generation must be attracted to build modern industries and to modernise the traditional cottage and small scale industries by inducting modern and latest technology.

Mr. Kalita was addressing as the chief guest the inaugural function of a workshop on ‘Industrial Publicity and Awareness’ organised by the Sivasagar District Industry and Commerce Centre at the premises of the local district industry and commerce centre under the presidentship of Sivasagar Deputy Commissioner (in-charge) Ali Amzad.

The Minister said that it was true that Assam was lagging behind in the area of growth and development of modern industries but Assam had a unique place in the area of traditional cottage and small scale industries and by modernizing these small scale and cottage industries by inducting modern technology we could usher in a period economic boom because the demand and popularity of the products of "our cottage and small scale industries are far and wide."

Inaugurating the workshop, Director of Industries, Pawan Barthakur, referred to the enormous opportunities given by the State and the Central Government to the young entrepreneurs to build industries in light of the latest industrial policies of the State and the Central Governments. He called upon the educated and unemployed youths to come forward to avail these opportunities. He also underlined the importance of making wide publicity of the salient features of these new industrial policies of the State and the Central Government and in this background the present workshop had been very timely and praiseworthy.

Bhadaram Gogoi, Chief Executive Councillor (CEC), Sivasagar District Council, called upon the educated youths of Assam to create an industrial climate by availing of the opportunities thrown up by the enormous natural resource on the one hand and by the traditional cottage and small scale industries on the other. He said only such a changed attitude of our youth would create the required industrial climate for growth and development of the existing cottage and small scale industries and emergence of new modern industries.

General Manager, Sivasagar DIC, Indreswar Nath said against a set target of setting up 950 industrial units in the district for the year 2002-03, 700 units could be set up and a total of 1,001 female entrepreneurs had come forward to avail of the new opportunities. He, however, regretted that the response of the Sivasagar branches of United Commercial Bank and United Bank of India in respect of extending loan facilities to beneficiaries under PMRY had not been at all satisfactory for which only 74 per cent of the target under this scheme could be met. He also disclosed that during the year there had been refunding of bank loan of about Rs. 25 lakh and in achieving this objective the Sivasagar district administration had extended all help and cooperation and the number of beneficiaries in this respect were 115.
    
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