September 28, 2018
Bangla CM returns after a successful visit to Europe
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is returning to Kolkata today after a successful tour of Germany and Italy. Wherever she went, she drew wide praise for the development that she and her government have brought to Bangla.
She had left Kolkata on September 16 for the 12-day trip. Accompanying her were the State Finance and Commerce & Industries Minister, Dr Amit Mitra and industrial captains and representatives of various chambers of commerce from the State.
The primary aim of the trips to two of the industrial powerhouses of Europe was to appraise businesses there of the vibrant investment climate in Bangla and guarantee a welcome for any investor.
Possibilities for collaborations in the fields of education and culture were also explored.
The highlights of her tour are as follows:
September 18: The Chief Minister met businessmen and representatives of various chambers of commerce in Frankfurt, where she identified information technology, agro chemical, leather, tourism, logistics, port and steel as the areas where German businesses could look for opportunities in Bengal. The MSME sector, one of the thrust areas for the State Government, was also in focus.
She also reminded them of the importance of the country in Bangla’s scheme of things: Germany was the partner country at the Bengal Global Business Summit in 2018, and in 2019 too, a delegation from Dusseldorf will be taking part.
The event was organised jointly by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (abbreviated as DIHK in German), Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) and Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA in German).
September 19: Dr Amit Mitra visited Düsseldorf to meet potential investors. The areas of cooperation discussed were mining equipment, chemicals and petrochemicals, logistics and engineering. This apart, the chief secretary of the State and the managing director of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) met representatives of KfW, a German development bank and GIZ, a development agency providing services in the field of international development cooperation for sustainable development.
September 24: Mamata Banerjee put forth her views at a business meet in Milan, where she spoke at length on the strengths of her State and on the synergies that Italy and Bangla can create in various sectors, including infrastructure, manufacturing, design and innovation, ICT, leather, textiles, agro-processing, tourism and automobiles.
The event was organised jointly by Assolombarda (the largest regional association of entrepreneurs in Italy), the Italian Trade Commission, FICCI and the Bangla Government.
September 26: The Chief Minister met the governor of the Italian province of Lombardy. She said Italian technology in various fields such as leather, fashion design, jewellery, steel and mining among education, tourism and others could find greater synergy with the requirements of Bangla. The two also explored areas of mutual collaboration in education, tourism and other key sectors.
Mamata Banerjee extended to him a request to visit the Bengal Global Business Summit, 2019 along with a delegation, which he accepted.
