Guwahati— The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Assam State Council hosted a high-impact session featuring Biswaranjan Samal, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Food, Public Distribution & Consumer Affairs, as its “Guest of the Month” at the NEDFi Conference Hall. The event, themed “Streamlining Standards and Enhancing Efficiency: Strengthening Food Security, Consumer Protection, and Ease of Doing Business in Assam,” facilitated key discussions on regulatory reforms, digital innovation, and economic policy.
Smti. Atreyee Borooah Thekedath, Co-Chair of ICC Assam, inaugurated the session with a welcome address. In his keynote speech, Samal highlighted Assam’s progress in standardization, crediting the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for expanding product testing and certification. He also showcased consumer initiatives like ‘I-Care’ and the formation of over 10,000 Standards Clubs in schools and colleges.
He further outlined economic advancements under the Assam Ease of Doing Business Act (2016) and praised the Single Window Clearance System, which now offers over 270 services and maintains a 98% application disposal rate. New policies like the Aerospace & Defence Manufacturing Policy (2025) and the Poultry Commercialization Policy (2024) were spotlighted as transformative steps for industrial growth.
Samal also discussed key updates to the Assam Right to Public Services Act and announced ₹500 crore in infrastructure investments targeting industrial zone upgrades and enhanced logistics. The appointment of dedicated Relationship Managers for investors was cited as a move to bolster Assam’s business ecosystem.
The session concluded with an interactive Q&A and a vote of thanks, reinforcing the importance of collaborative efforts between government and industry for sustainable and inclusive development.