February 6, 2019
Industrial developments in Bangla from 2011 to 2017
Over the years, Bangla has achieved a lot in terms of manufacturing and investment, having undergone an industrial transformation under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
As per data provided by the Commerce and Industries Department of the State Government, for the financial years (FY) 2011-12 to 2016-17, investment towards the advancement of industrial infrastructure has risen from Rs 234 crore (2011) to Rs 989 crore (2017), with a total investment to the tune of Rs 3,602.53 crore.
In 2017-18, while the country’s Industrial Growth was 5.54%, the State’s Industrial Growth was 16.29% (advanced estimate), an increase of more than three-fold.
Policies
The efforts of the State towards the creation of a business-friendly and efficient system have led to the achievement of the top rank in ‘Ease of Doing Business’, as per the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy (DIPP), Government of India.
A significant step towards (EoDB) has been the enactment of Silpa Sathi, a scheme to ensure single-window permission for setting up industry of any size (micro, small, medium and large sectors).
Bangla is the first state in India to achieve 100 per cent implementation of the Business Reforms Action Plan 2017, recommended by the DIPP.
Receiving a total of Rs 9,48,568.77 crore investment proposals over the four editions of the event, the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) has been a huge success, truly exemplifying the tagline of the event – ‘Bengal Means Business’.
Efforts by the Bangla Government has created a dynamic business environment in the past seven years:
- West Bengal State Support for Industries Scheme (WBSSIS) 2013
- Design Policy 2016
- Startup Policy 2016
- Export Promotion Policy 2018
- Logistics Park Development Promotion Policy 2018
Some of the major projects
The government has also taken steps to develop the industrial infrastructure of the State:
- 1,839km Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor Project extending from Ludhiana in Punjab to Dankuni in Bangla
- Raghunathpur Industrial Park covering 2,483 acres created for developing an Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC)
- Creation of industrial parks and growth centres in various districts, and upgrading of their infrastructure to make them world-class
- Haldia Petrochemicals Limited revived, with the company now employing over 3,000 workers.
- Saraswati Press Limited, after acquiring by State Government, registering turnover of Rs 425 crore and net profit of Rs 40 crore
- Bills for acquisition of Jessop and Dunlop passed in the Legislative Assembly in February 2016
- In FY 2015-16, mining leases executed for seven coal blocks (four of WBPDCL, and one each of DPL, DVC and CESC)
- Joint venture agreement between GAIL and GCGSCL, aimed at implementation of piped cooking gas to areas in and around Kolkata
- As per data from Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), exports from Bangla in 2016-17 valued at Rs 52,875 crore (USD 8.25 billion)
- Among other significant projects becoming operational in the last seven years are the Integrated Food Park and Infotech Park by ITC, projects by BASF India Limited (of Germany), Shapoorji Pallonji, etc.
