Author: AITC

Hon'ble Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee todayurged the business community of Singapore through the Singapore Government tocome to West Bengal, share their expertise and initiate trade there. She proposedthis during the luncheon hosted by the island country's Hon'ble Minister of ForeignAffairs.

A Singapore Pavilion to facilitate tradeprospects can be set up, the Chief Minister proposed. The Minister of Foreign Affairs informed theChief Minister that on behalf of the Government of Singapore, appeals will bemade to the business community of the country. It was decided that a structurewill be finalised to take the talks to the next level. The discussion was richand fruitful.

We also had discussions regarding thestrides made by West Bengal Government in the social sector development. Wetold them about the various developments in West Bengal at the grassrootslevel. The Minister was excited to know about the Kanyashree scheme and the international recognition it received. Hewas pleased to know that the scheme was showcased at the Girls' Summit inLondon and has been honoured by the United Nations.

as told by Dr Amit Mitra, Minister for Finance, IT, Industries and Commerce, West Bengal Government, to a private Bengali news channel

Investments pour in for Bengal at Singapore Business Summit today with several companies including GIC group, InfraCo Asia and Compass group signing joint ventures and letters of intent.

GIC-HDFC, one of the world's largest fundsagreed to enter into a joint venture today. The deal is worth $ 32.5 million orRs 200 crore. This was not a MoU but an official commercial signature. GIC hasfunded a few companies in India, but this is the first time it entered WestBengal. They will deal with Kolkata Riverside development.

A letter of Intent worth Rs 1000 crore hasbeen given to Keventers Agro Intra Company, India and Singapore, at DankuniFood Park by InfraCo Asia. CompassGroup, Singapore has signed a joint venture with Axis Technologies from Bengal. Their core area is Port Designing with IT.

OBTInc. and William Sonoma, India have signed a letter of intent to showcase Bengal's art andcraft in their 600 outlets in different parts of the world.

TheSanderson Group of Australia, which has a holding company in Singapore, will gofor a joint venture with the Ravi Auto Group from Kolkata to set up a world classamusement park.

ChangiAirport which has 26% equity in the Andal project has raised it to 32.5%, which means more investment will pour in. Theywill be setting up an Institute of Technology at Andal.

CREDAI, the largest building association inIndia signed an agreement with Surbana, the largest land developing firm ofSingapore for a township project.

The investors' summit also saw the screening of a 7-minute long video promoting Bengal as an investment destination. It showcased the State's strengths in multiple sectors from IT to MSME, Health, Entertainment, Culture, FMCG and others.

Brand Bengal was showcased today atSingapore in a Business Summit organised by the West Bengal Government. Apartfrom WB Govt officials and investors from Singapore, the meeting was attendedby several business heads from Bengal.

Speaking at the summit, the Captains of theIndustry from Bengal praised the State Government for their pro-industrypolicies. Harsh Neotia, the Chairman of Ambuja-Neotia group, said, “My businessis headquartered in Kolkata. Whenever I have faced any problem, WB Govt hasalways helped me.”

Sanjeev Goenka, the Vice Chairman of RPGEnterprises, said, “We have been running business in Bengal for a long time.Our experience has been very good.”

The MD of Titagarh Wagons, Umesh Chowdhurysaid, “WB CM is very hard working and always helps you when you face anyproblem.”

The CEO of Changi Airport, Singaporepraised the West Bengal Government for their cooperation. He said he was happywith his experience in Bengal and was eager to invest more in the State in thedays to come.

A delegate present at the Business Summitsaid that the speech by the chief Minister touched his heart. “It was not aprepared speech, but genuine and from the heart” he said.

Mr Karan Paul of the Apeejay group saidthat this kind of a meet was necessary. He said he was impressed by the workdone by the CM's communication group. “They understand the needs well and havefocused on the areas that needed to be highlighted,” he added.

“CM spoke her heart out. She connectedemotionally so well through her address that everybody was applauding withrounds rounds of applause. I can see the real Poriborton not far away” saidKamal Agarwala, a steering committee member at IIIT Kalyani.

A delegate from Singapore said that shefound the speech of the Chief Minister very inspiring and was looking forwardto invest in Bengal. A member of the delegation of business representativesfrom the State said the CM spoke like a CEO not a politician.

West Bengal Government today showcased thestrengths of the State at Singapore Business Summit, urging investors to comeand join the growth story. The 7-minute long audio-visual presentation featuredthe achievements of the Bengal Government in the last three years, apart fromthe avenues of investment in the State.

The video which opened with the famouslines of Tagore 'Banglar Mati, Banglar jol' narrated by the Chief Ministerherself, highlighted that Bengal is growing faster than India – while thenational GDP growth rate is 4.9%, Bengal's GSDP is 7.71%. Even in terms ofgrowth in agriculture, industrial production and service sector, Bengal wasmuch ahead of India.

The video also focussed on the tourismpotential of the State. From the lush green forests in North Bengal to theRoyal Bengal tiger in Sunderbans, the religious harmony in the State was alsodepicted in the video. The presentation also showcased the various sectors ofinvestment – hospitality, retail, culture, entertainment, infrastructure, MSME,handloom industry among others.

The video also highlighted the achievementsof the State Government in the social sector – the various schemes and grantslike the Kanyashree, fair price medicine shops received thunderous applause fromthe audience.

The video ended with a message from thebrand ambassador of the State – Shah Rukh Khan. He urged the people ofSingapore to invest in Bengal as the State was industry-friendly, eco-friendlyand above all people-friendly. “Come invest in Bengal,” was his message.

GIC-HDFC, one of the world's largest fundsagreed to enter into a joint venture today. The deal is worth $ 32.5 million orRs 200 crore. This was not a MoU but an official commercial signature. GIC hasfunded a few companies in India, but this is the first time it entered WestBengal. They will deal with Kolkata Riverside development.

A letter of Intent worth Rs 1000 crore hasbeen given to Keventers Agro Intra Company, India and Singapore, at DankuniFood Park by InfraCo Asia. Compass Group, Singapore has signed a joint venturewith Axis Technologies from Bengal. Their core area is Port Designing with IT.

OBT Inc. and William Sonoma, India havesigned a letter of intent to showcase Bengal's art and craft in their 600outlets in different parts of the world.

The Sanderson Group of Australia, which hasa holding company in Singapore, will go for a joint venture with the Ravi AutoGroup from Kolkata to set up a world class amusement park.

Changi Airport which has 26% equity in theAndal project has raised it to 32.5%, which means more investment will pour in.They will be setting up an Institute of Technology at Andal.

CREDAI, the largest building association inIndia signed an agreement with Surbana, the largest land developing firm ofSingapore for a township project.

I am a man with a very positive outlook andI am very optimistic that these projects will redefine the industrial map ofBengal. Our aim is not just to sign MoU's but develop sustainable relationship.

as told by Dr Amit Mitra, Minister for Finance, IT, Industries and Commerce, West Bengal Government to a private Bengali news channel

WB CM's Singapore trip has started off on a positive note with a fruitful meeting between WB Industry Minister and GIC group. Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee is currently in Singaporewith a delegation of 11 government officials and 52 representatives of various business houses.

The Chief Minister will hold meetings with Sinagpore PM Lee Hsien Loong and foreign minister K Shanmugam, on whose invite she is visiting Singapore.

The plenary session of the meeting will be held at hotel Shangri La where the CM will be staying. Dr Mitra said that the business delegates, which include representatives from different sectors like energy , real estate, hospitality , entertainment, IT, tourism, food processing, health care, fertilisers, tea, FMCG and civil aviation, are are flying at their own cost.

WB CM Ms Mamata Banerjee will visit Sentosa island andwill visit the water park there, sources said, since the CM is keen to create asimilar water park in West Bengal. She also has plans to set up a golf course inthe state to attract industrialists. Moreover, the CM, who is looking forinvestors for the deep sea resort at Sagar island, will also visit SingaporePort. Finance minister Amit Mitra said that the objective of the trip is toexplore investment opportunities in West Bengal.

Earlier, Changi Airport International (CAI) chairman KeeTeck Koon had invited the CM. CAI has invested in the Aetropolis near Durgapurand for that the CM is looking for more investment opportunities. CAI is apartner of Bengal Aerotropolis, the airport city being constructed at Andalnear Durgapur.

CAI has a 24% stake in the company and is expected tohike its share to 33%. The company has invested nearly Rs 1,000 crore in theproject.

The West Bengal Government will set up abird sanctuary within the Eco Park at Rajarhat, Chief Minister Ms MamataBanerjee said at Singapore on Monday. After taking a tour around the famousJurong Bird Park in Singapore, the West Bengal Chief Minister said thesanctuary will come up over a five acre area.

She also said that a Safari Park is beingset up at Siliguri. The West Bengal Chief had laid the foundation stone of thesafari park on the fringes of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary on July 17. Thesafari park, which is the first of its kind in the State, will be built over anarea of 600 acres at a cost of Rs 255 crore. The park is a joint project of thedepartments of north Bengal development, tourism and the forest. The CentralZoo Authority has granted permission to the state government to set up thepark.

The West Bengal Chief Minister, who is nowon a five-day visit to the sovereign city state of Singapore to tap investment,said that the state`s officials accompanying him have spoken to the Jurong BirdPark authorities on setting up the bird park. “We already had planned the birdsanctuary. Now we will plan in a better way,” she said.

Dr Amit Mitra today spoke to the media after WB CM's meeting with the Prime Minister of Singapore. He said that the WB Govt was planning to set up a Focus Centre for investors in Singapore to let them know about the laws, facilities and policies of the State. It would act as an one-window centre, he added.

Full transcript of his speech:

Hon'ble Chief Minister had a meeting withthe Prime Minister of Singapore today in the morning. A huge delegation ofbusinessmen from Bengal has come with us to Singapore. They are holdingmeetings with their counterparts here for the last one and half days.

It is clear from many of the meetings thatthere is a positive outlook about Bengal here. The big meeting with business heads is scheduled for tomorrow. Theimportant point here is that these people want to know what facilities ourGovernment will provide to take the talks forward.

Our Chief Minister today told the PrimeMinister of Singapore about the various investment opportunities in Bengal inthe fields of trade, services and even food processing sectors. The bestmanufacturing companies of the world have their headquarters at Singapore. Theycan have a joint venture with a company from Singapore and come to West Bengal.

We are planning to set up a Focus Centrefor them to let know about the facilities, laws and policies in place in Bengaland continuously monitor its activities and solve problems, if any. This mightbe the first of its kind in our country. This Focus Centre will work in closecoordination with 25-30 departments of the State Government. This will be aone-window centre. This will monitor, trade, investment and even technologytransfer.