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The Bengal Global Business Summit has proved to be a milestone in the history of our State. It looks like a galaxy of stars is present here.

To our partner countries – Australia, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Republic of Korea and UAE, Finland and Luxemburg – your presence gives us inspiration and courage. We are thankful for your partnership.

Bengal means business. Perception of Bengal has now changed.

We faced misrule for 34 years, when the previous government was in power. The mandays lost at that time was about 75 lakh in a year. Now no mandays are lost.

Our performance speaks for itself. Our credentials are our commitment. We have the talent, researchers, skilled workers.

We have a land map and a land bank. We have a land use policy, IT policy, textile policy, MSME policy, worker policy, and a tea garden policy.

We are number one in India in MSME, skill development, growth rate, rural employment, rural road construction, and also rural housing.

Our GVA growth is 65% higher than the national average.

We have achieved surplus revenue of 3% in March 2018, whereas India faced a deficit of 17.9%.

Industrial growth of Bengal is 194% higher than national average

Growth in service sector in Bengal is 26% higher than national average

Growth in agricultural sector in Bengal is 247 times more than national growth

We have tripled farmers income. State’s own tax collection has more than doubled.

Bengal reduced unemployment rate by 40% while 2 crore jobs were lost in the country.

Capital expenditure of the State increased nine times.

State plan expenditure increased four times.

Agriculture and allied-agri sector has grown by seven times.

Physical infrastructure in Bengal increased four times. Bengal offers excellent infrastructure and performance record.

Bengal is surging ahead. We are the destination for business, for farmers, and for the unemployed youth.

Bengal is the land of unity is diversity. People of all castes, creed, religions, and backgrounds live here in harmony.

Bengal has the location advantage. Bengal is the gateway of the eight north-eastern States, Bengal shares the border with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan. We are half an hour away from Singapore. We are three hours away from Malaysia, Thailand and very close to middle-eastern countries as well

We have a population of 100 million. We are number one in human capital because we have set up more than 300 ITIs and polytechnics where we provide skill training. You can get skilled manpower in Bengal.

Bengalis are working everywhere in the world. No one can match the talent and human capital of Bengal.

You can get 24X7 power in Bengal now, which was unthinkable seven years ago.

We have great connectivity – raid, roal and air network. We have the first greenfield airport. We have the biggest tea auction market & grower of the best tea in the world. We are the largest producer of fish seeds in India

We have set up 28 new universities in the last seven years, and 42 new multi super speciality hospitals.

When we came to power in May, 2011, the institutional delivery rate in Bengal was 65%. Now it is 98%. This is not a matter of joke.

We provide rice at Rs 2/kg to nearly 90% people in the State. We provide completely free treatment to people at government hospitals in the State.

60 lakh girls who are studying in schools, colleges and universities have been empowered by the Kanyashree scholarship. It was awarded the First Prize in Public Service by United Nations.

We have 50% reservation for women at Panchayats. Our party has 34% female MPs in Lok Sabha, while others are still demanding a 33% reservation for women.

We have given government benefits to at least 90 per cent of the people in the State. We are working for the downtrodden people.

People of Bengal love all of you. They are ready to provide full support to you.

Bengal’s perception has changed because of my visits to foreign countries.

After we came to power we restored the direct flight to Frankfurt.

I requested my German friends to set up automobile industry in Bengal. They are considering the proposal. They are interested in smart energy sector.

The delegation from Milan are interested in setting up more clusters of leather industry.

Poland is already collaborating with us in the energy sector.

I have requested the Ambassador of Japan to provide us assistance in infrastructure projects.

Japan and Korea have requested me to visit their countries.

We received investment proposals worth Rs 10 lakh crore in the previous editions of BGBS. More than 50% of the proposals have been implemented or are under process.

We have set up a Financial Hub where many financial institutions have joined us.

We have set up an IT hub modelled on Silicon Valley

Bengal has great potential in tourism, health, education as well as women empowerment

The social welfare projects carried out by us are unmatched. We are always for the downtrodden.

I believe that Bengal is for all. We want to see our country gain, and grow.

The general elections are due shortly. My industry friends, who have left India, I request you to come back and invest here. I know you are facing some problems and difficulties. I can assure you that after the government changes at Centre, we will have a better policy.

We want Bengal to prosper. We want India to grow. We want EVERY State to grow.

Bengal is the land of Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

I want to quote Rabindranath Tagore, who had said, ‘Give me the strength, never to disown the poor, or to bend knees before an insolent mind’.

If you have the vision, you can conquer the world. Never say no. Always be positive.

The 5th edition (7-8 February) of the Bengal Global Business Summit begins today. Bangla has had four successful summits in the last four years with participation from over 35 countries across the globe and business delegates from across India. Partner countries for 2019 are Australia, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Republic of Korea and UAE.

The two-day business spectacle is being held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Newtown. The plenary session will be addressed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The 2018 summit brought in investment proposals worth USD 145.93 billion reposing trust in Mamata Banerjee’s slogan ‘Bengal means business’.

Bangla has distinct advantages to become a potential trading hub for India and is a gateway to Southeast Asia, courtesy its proximity to Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar making it ideal for border trade. With the North-East serving road connectivity, Bangla can pave the way for India’s ambitious ‘Act East’ policy.

Bangla has the unique opportunity to serve as a ‘Silk Road’ to its neighbouring nations. Moreover, with cost-cutting opportunity in logistics, a competitive tool for buoyancy in trade, border trade could unleash bigger opportunities to expand investments.

Bangla has a unique advantage to become a strong foundation for global value chain (GVC) manufacturing operations in the eastern region and has the potential to provide a base for GVC manufacturing operations between India and ASEAN.

This year like the last, a huge Chinese delegation is expected to attend the summit. Bangla provides a favourable destination for Chinese investments and the expansion of trade relations since China has vowed to engage India as an important trade and investment partner

This year, the attendees may cross the 4,000-mark. Apart from China, the summit is expected to receive massive participation from countries like UK, Luxembourg and France among others.

Source: Millennium Post

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The fifth edition of the annual Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) is starting today.
BGBS draws delegates from all over the world and of course, from the top companies in India. Bengal Global Business Summit is now among the largest trade and investment summits in the country.

A lot of the success owes itself to the tireless effort of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in promoting Bangla as the best investment destination in India. Every year, she makes it a point to visit a few countries to personally meet government and business leaders from several countries. Last year, she held extensive discussions in Germany and Italy.

This year, 35 countries are participating in the summit. Among the 35 are 12 countries which have been given the honour of being ‘partner countries’ – Germany, Italy, the UK, Luxembourg, France, Japan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Czech Republic, UAE, Australia and Finland.

Partner countries

At BGBS 2019, Luxembourg is the partner country in any business summit in India for the first time. There will be country session on Luxembourg. Its ambassador to India is leading the delegation, which comprise, among others, CEOs of six big companies – Paul Wurth, Rotarex Engineering, Boson Energy, Ceratizit, Amer-Sil Ketex and the law firm, Arendt & Medernach.

Special Country Session

There will be a special country session on the United Kingdom too. There will be a joint session on start-ups as well. Britain is open to partnerships with Bengal as a gateway for the east and north-east. The UK’s trade commissioner to India is leading the country’s delegation, which has several heads of organisations and CEOs, like those from UK Research & Innovation, OxSight Ltd. and UK India Business Council (UKIBC).

French delegation

A 22-member delegation from France is attending the summit, being led by its ambassador to India. The delegation also has the minister counsellor and head of the regional economic department of the embassy of France in India, and consul general of France in Kolkata. Top-level representatives from 14 French companies, including Accor, Alstom, Bassetti, Capgemini, Decathlon and Schneider Electric Company, are part of the delegation.

Delegation from Latin America

This year, for the first time, there will be trade delegations from Latin American and Caribbean countries – in fact, from 18 of them. These countries are grouped as the trade bloc, LAC. These 18 are among the 35 participating countries.

Representatives from some of these had attended the conference, ‘India-LAC Business Cooperation: Special focus on West Bengal’ in Kolkata last November. There are a number of core competency areas that Bengal and the LAC countries have in common, like leather, textiles manufacturing, information technology (IT), etc.

Delegations from 35 countries

Last time, there were a little over 4,000 delegates in total, including those from 32 countries. This time, with 35 countries participating and more organisations from India, this record will be broken.

The Bengal Global Business Summit is showing the way to the rest of the country on how a regional business summit can become the darling of the industry.

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The 5th edition (7-8 February) of the Bengal Global Business Summit begins today. Bangla has had four successful summits in the last four years with participation from over 35 countries across the globe and business delegates from across India.

Partner countries for 2019 are Australia, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Republic of Korea and UAE.

The two-day business spectacle is being held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Newtown. It is India’s biggest convention centre. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will address the plenary session.

The 2018 summit brought in investment proposals worth USD 145.93 billion reposing trust in Mamata Banerjee’s slogan ‘Bengal means business’.

 

The National President of Trinamool Youth Congress and MP, Abhishek Banerjee today said that Trinamool has no place for the corrupt. He was speaking at a public meeting in Bankura, and was referring to the Bishnupur MP.

Abhishek said that the MP understood he will not get a ticket this time. Hence, he changed camps. Calling him “Facebook Neta” Abhishek wondered what happened to the former’s threat of gheraoing the local police station.

He asked people to send a representative of Mamata Banerjee to the Parliament from Bishnupur. He also dared the MP to start printing pads with “former MP” stamped on them.

He also slammed the BJP in his speech. He wanted to know what happened to the promises made before 2014 elections. He slammed the BJP on the issue of black money and unemployment. He also alleged that the Centre was displaying a step-motherly attitude towards Bengal. He referred to the lack of allocations in rail budget for the State.

He also said fuel prices will come down if BJP is voted out of power. He called upon people to elect a secular government at Centre. He slammed the Centre for using agencies against political opponents.

Over the last seven-and-a-half years, Bangla under the Trinamool Congress Government has seen massive investment in infrastructure, both from the government sector and the private sector.

At the 5th Bengal Global Business Summit, being held from February 7 to 8, the State Government has decided to give special importance to the highly successful infrastructure sector.

In the current financial year, that is, April 2018 to March 2019, the government has already spent Rs 33,000 crore for developing physical infrastructure. The amount has been spent across the State – in gram panchayat areas, towns and cities – for constructing roads, bridges, dams, irrigation canals and various other facilities and structures.

With so much being spent, it is but natural to focus on this sector at the BGBS, where representatives from top companies across the globe participate.

To make it easier for companies in all sectors, the Trinamool Congress Government has instituted the single-window scheme, wherein all permissions like fire, water, etc. can be obtained from a single place, and most of the processes have been made online too.

Here is a brief overview of the infrastructural developments

• Bridges and flyovers completed (in Kolkata and other places): Maa Flyover, Garden Reach Flyover, Baguiati Flyover (all in Kolkata), Dakshineswar Rani Rashmoni Skywalk, Jangal Kanya Setu in Bhasraghat, Lalgarh Bridge in Aamkala, Mridanga Setu in Bolerbajar
• Infrastructure development project worth Rs. 12,000 crore is under way – Mechogram to Morgram, North-South Road Corridor, Bhutan-Bangladesh Asian Highway 48, Nepal-Bangladesh Asian Highway 2
• India’s first private sector greenfield airport in Andal, Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport – a joint venture with Changi Airport International, Singapore – operationalised.
• Expenditure on social Infrastructure (education, sports, art & culture, health & family welfare, water supply, sanitation, housing, information & broadcasting, labour & labour welfare, welfare of SCs, STs and OBCs, social welfare and nutrition) has increased more than four times, from Rs 6,845 crore in 2010-11 to Rs. 28,561 crore in 2017-18.
• Expenditure on physical infrastructure (energy, industry and minerals, transport, science technology and environment, general economic service) has increased more than 3.6 times, from Rs 1,758 crore in 2010-11 to Rs 6,456 crore in 2017-18.
• The scope of the Land Purchase Policy introduced by the State Government in 2014 has been extended to include infrastructure projects with a new look and with special features like inclusion of projects of departments of the Government of India, apart from State Government projects, in a comprehensive, fair and transparent manner and without any coercion for such purchase.
• New development authorities: For the upgrading of existing infrastructure and creation of new tourist attractions in planned manner, eight development authorities have been constituted. They are Gangasagar Bakkhali Development Authority (in 2013), Furfurah Sharif Development Authority (in 2015), Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (in 2015), Bakreswar Development Authority (in 2016), Patharchapuri Development Authority (in 2016), Mukutmanipur Development Authority (in 2017), Changrabandha Development Authority (2017) and Tarakeswar Development Authority (2017). Area extension work has been done for Gangasagar Bakkhali Development Authority, Haldia Development Authority, Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority and New Town Kolkata Development Authority.
• 26,300km of rural roads constructed/renovated
• 1.71 lakh hectares brought under irrigation, with the help of various new irrigation facilities
• Creation of infrastructure related to information technology has increased by more than 16 times in the last seven years with a total outlay of Rs 293.97 crore in financial year (FY) 2016-17
• 100 per cent of villages electrified under Sabar Ghare Alo scheme
• 1,000 Youth Computer Training Centres operational under PPP mode
• Letter-of-Credit system abolished, and all works of all departments brought under the Treasury System
• 1.5 lakh students provided training in IT and ITeS
• About 30 lakh people supported with housing infrastructure
• 69,306km of quality rural roads constructed
• With 13 per cent of national coastline, Bangla tops in terms of spread, density and reach of National Waterways
• Entire Tajpur Port being developed by State Government
• Bangla leads in railway network density – 45.9km per 10,000 sq km, which is well above the national average of 35.9km per 10,000 sq km, boasts road density of 333.5 km per 1,000 sq km, which is considerably higher than national average 139.1 km/1,000 sq km
• Bangla is the best in the country in power quality, ranks first in power availability, and is the largest in India’s power distribution
• Kolkata port is the biggest tea-handling port in the country

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.