WB Govt to tap 1 lakh acres of government land for industry

WB Govt to tap 1 lakh acres of government land for industry

Posted on September 15, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

West Bengal is planning to tap over one lakh acres of land available with the government in a bid to woo investors to the state.

State Finance, Industries and Commerce Minister Dr Amit Mitra said: “We are pro-poor and pro-business. Bengal is one case where reality is significantly better than perception. The question of land acquisition doesn’t arise. The government and its various departments have over one lakh acres of ready land, which we have decided to give to business houses to set up industries.“

Dr Mitra was in Mumbai for a road show to promote ‘Bengal Global Business Summit 2016’ to be held in Kolkata in January 2016.

“Land will not be a problem in West Bengal. WBIDC has 4,400 acres of ready land under its possession for industrial development. This is apart from the land for 6 townships in the state. Another 4000 acres of land will be made available soon,” the finance minister said.

The rest of its land bank is available with various government departments spread all over the state.

“Come and make money, come where the rising curve is happening,” said Dr Mitra, highlighting the growth benefits of investing in the state.

Among the key features offered to investors include land for greenfield projects, industrial parks and smart public administration.

Group of Ministers constituted to identify and reclaim closed industry land

Posted on September 15, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

The West Bengal Government has decided to step up its efforts to reclaim 285 acres of land acquired by public sector firm Cycle Corporation of India, at Asansol.

The decision was taken at the third meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted to identify and reclaim land acquired by closed industrial units.

As per the findings of the GoM, of the 49,000 acres of land acquired by closed industrial units in Bengal, only about 7,500 acres are deemed non-litigant (not mired in litigations) by the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR).

As per preliminary findings of the panel, the land held by the Cycle Corporation of India does appear to be litigation-free.However, to be absolutely certain that the piece of land in question isn’t mired in litigation problems, the GoM, today (Thursday), set up a separate panel comprising directors, commissioners or joint secretaries of five state government departments, namely law, land, industrial reconstruction, agriculture and labour.

The panel will probe the current status of the land held by the Cycle Corporation of India and submit its report (to the GoM) on September 29, 2015,” the cabinet member said.

The image is a representative one

Bengal growth story not highlighted on national scale: Amit Mitra

Posted on July 27, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Interview of Dr Amit Mitra, Hon’ble Industries & Finance Minister, West Bengal

Q: Is Bengal suffering from a perception issue?

Dr Mitra: Bengal’s reality has changed a lot. It is not being shown on national scale. Bengal’s GDP is growing at 10%. The state is surging ahead in every field, be it agriculture, services or industry. Our slogan is “Come to Bengal, Ride the growth”.

Q: Is WB Govt suffering from communication issue?

Dr Mitra: Media channels are the main source of communication. Some local media channels do not want to show the Bengal growth story.

Q: What is the sales pitch of Bengal in UK?

Dr Mitra: We will highlight all the macroeconomic parameters. Investment proposals worth Rs 84000 crore are already underway. If you take our statistics that I have submitted in the State Legislative Assembly, there will be a lot of heads turning.

Changi airport and SAIL are taking up projects which will not only help in infrastructure but also generate employment. We have land in 38 industrial parks. 4500 acres of land are ready for industries. All departments together have 100000 acres of land which can be put to judicious use.

We have an analytics park coming up at Kalyani. AIIMS-like hospital and several universities in the pipeline too. All this is coming up on government land. We have cleared 7500 acres of private land which is vested and already in the market. The largest technology park of the Central Govt is coming up in Kolkata.

Five tea estates belonging to State Government, which were lying closed for a long time, have been given out in transparent, competitive manner. The transition of the tea estates also saw 100% employee retention. Haldia Petrochemicals is receiving 95% capacity even as stake sale process is underway.

We have applied our minds and are moving ahead at a fantastic pace regarding the issue of land and SEZ. Research shows that SEZs are not sustainable in India which have become a playground for real estate.

Bengal is a power-surplus State now. NTPC is taking up power projects in the State. Bengal is water-surplus State, thanks to the Jal Dharo Jal Bharo project.

The MoUs that will be signed in London are across the board and will encompass all major small and large industries.

Q: Will you change your FDI policy?

Dr Mitra: We will not change our policy. Let me be clear because it is our commitment to the people. We have a mall in the heart of Kolkata which is the highest rated mall in India. So who is against business houses setting up shop? We welcome companies to enter Bengal.

We have eased the process of doing business. One of the biggest problems was mutation. WB CM has put a 30 days limit for the process.

West Bengal Government received award from Central Govt for e-taxation. We are the only State in India to go cheque-free in taxation.

Kanyashree is a revolutionary programme where 22 lakh girls have been registered for financial assistance to pursue education and got appreciation from United Nations as well.