Bengal’s best foot forward with Mamata’s London trip

Didi’s London Trip

  • Mamata Banerjee attended an interactive private dinner with UK investors
  • Discussions focused on how to increase UK investment in West Bengal were held
  • UK businessmen voiced their concerns about labour issues, urban development, speed of clearances and approvals
  • MoUs were signed with the University of Cambridge, East Anglia and SOAS

 

The death of India’s much-loved former President APJ Abdul Kalam truncated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s 4-day programme in London. As a mark of respect all public engagements were cancelled.

Mamata Banerjee left London last night, a day ahead of schedule as ‘the possibility of a cyclone’ hitting Bengal loomed.

22 MOU were signed, which covered four areas: industry, healthcare, education and smart cities.

The first day saw 250 people at the business seminar in the afternoon. It was an interactive discussion with the UK and West Bengal businesses asking and answering the questions that emerged.

Those present say businessmen from Bengal did a great job selling the state. Both business and the state government sent out the same positive message. Businessmen from the UK voiced their concerns about labour issues, urban development, speed of clearances and approvals. Their fears were brushed aside by businessmen from Bengal, who assured them that ‘bandhs’ or forced closures were now a thing of the past and this government was serious about business.

 

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with UK Minister of State for Education Priti Patel

 

That evening, the event at the Foreign Office was also over-subscribed. The UK Minister of State for Education, Priti Patel, who had met Banerjee in 2013 when she visited Kolkata with the British Prime Minister David Cameron, welcomed her to London and offered continued partnership. The Chief Minister responded with a speech that drew applause, “London is the world’s financial capital, and West Bengal is the world’s human capital.”

One of those present at the meeting says, “It was very personal, showing her love of Bengal and her belief that the UK is the right partner, not least because we have such a strong shared cultural and historical connection.”

 

Wooing UK Investors

 

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  MoUs and other business documents between UK and Bengal were signed

 

Mamata Banerjee also attended an interactive private dinner with UK investors, hosted by Patricia Hewitt, Chair of the UK India Business Council. It gave the Chief Minister and select members of her team an opportunity to closely interact with UK investors. Banerjee had a proposition for each of the UK businesses that attended. A plan was drawn up to further develop these relationships.

Interestingly, a potential British investor was heard saying at the dinner that night, “Until today, West Bengal was not a priority area in India for us, but it is now.”

Kevin McCole, UK India Business Council’s Chief Operating Officer points out:

“Although the shortened programme meant there was only one full day of activity, it was a hugely impactful day. The Chief Minister, by bringing such a strong business delegation, has set the bar high for other Indian states looking to attract investors. And the highly interactive nature of the business conference – no speeches and no powerpoint – has redrawn the model for how these events are delivered. UK investors were impressed by her can-do attitude. They were also impressed by the message the Chief Minister gave in her speech at the evening event. It was full of passion, compassion, humility and humour.”

 

There was also a focused round table, led by the Industries Secretary and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), Managing Director on the mining and natural resources sector. Ten current and potential UK investors held a discussion, which focused on how to increase UK investment into the state. Among the subjects discussed, was the need to create a UK-WB public private partnership mining engineering training institute, another was modifications to the Government of India’s public procurement processes to make it more commercially viable for companies to set up in India to service the market.

 

MoUs with UK Universities

 

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Exchanges on investment and other collaborations between United Kingdom and Bengal were held

 

On the education front too, there was a sense of satisfaction. MoUs were signed with the University of Cambridge, East Anglia and SOAS . Presidency University’s Vice Chancellor Anuradha Lohia was overwhelmed with the support she received from the state government, “Our CM would like to make Bengal an education hub and create a huge resource of skilled manpower.”

“Mamata di’s ability to connect with every member of the delegation was exemplary. She was constantly chatting with all of us during the flight, looking after everyone’s food and comfort while conducting her business. She is an amazing walker.She walked constantly at Kolkata and Delhi airports. She walked 10 to 12 kms every morning, often leaving her companions trailing far behind. Inexhaustible, full of affection, energetic and enthusiastic.”

 

Once she returns, the Chief Minister and her team will have to work doubly hard.

“The stage has now been set for more UK investments in Bengal. But it will require follow up by both parties, and we hope that a further delegation from West Bengal in the autumn will generate a strong return delegation to Kolkata for the investors summit in January.”

 

Bengal certainly seems to have put its best foot forward. Now it needs to take brisk steps and regain lost ground.

 

(The writer, Payal Mohanka, is a Kolkata-based senior journalist. The article was first published on The Quint, July 30, 2015)

WB CM invites David Cameron to revisit Kolkata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has invited British Prime Minister David Cameron to revisit Kolkata soon, describing the city “a true getaway to the east”.

“My message for the British PM is that he must visit Kolkata again soon and see that it is truly the gateway to the east,” she said in response to a letter from Mr Cameron apologising for not being able to meet her in London due to his tour of South East Asia.

“I am sorry that my travel plans mean I will not be in London to see you in London…I fondly recall our meeting in Kolkata in November 2013, when we discussed the positive UK-West Bengal bilateral cooperation that exists, and the wealth of trade and investment opportunities this offers,” the British PM had written in his letter dated July 24.

Ms Banerjee highlighted that it was a matter of “destiny” that Britain turns to Kolkata and West Bengal, which she described as a “gateway to Asia”.

“Britain started with Kolkata as its business capital (during the Raj) so that is the destination. History repeats itself and it is destiny that British business should expand to Kolkata,” she said.

Asked how the West Bengal capital compares to London, the Trinamool Congress leader said both cities have their own identity but there are a number of similarities.

“As I have been walking around I see a lot of similarities in architecture and road names. They have Queen Victoria’s statue, we have Victoria Memorial. London is an expensive city but Kolkata is not. It is a soft, soothing, cheap city. London is pollution-free and we are fast moving towards a cleaner, greener city,” she said.

Walking has been central theme of the chief minister’s visit to the UK, as she prefers to explore London mostly by foot in her trademark white sari and flip-flops.

Asked if she would revisit the British capital, she said: “I will definitely come back. This has been a very fruitful business meet. The perception of Bengal has changed today. It is set to become the industrial hub of India. The size of investments will become clear over time but 21 MoUs have been signed, which is a very positive sign.”

“Today the world is a united family and we must walk together,” she said.

Captains of industry praise Bengal as investment destination

Dignitaries and the members of business delegation showered praises on the West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee and the industrial condition of West Bengal at different meeting held by the Bengal business delegation in London.

Excerpts:

British Employment Minister Priti Patel: “She is an amazing lady, let me be clear about that, in terms of detail, vision and passion. She is an incredible leader – to listen to her speak on the podium and in conversation as well.”

“They (UK investors) started to dip their toes in the west when the PM and I went to Calcutta two years ago.”

“Now we were able to follow up from the discussions and the conversations we had then. She was then fizzing with ideas. Now we were able to put through things in a much more concrete way.”

UKIBC Chair, Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt: “What I heard was not the usual rhetorics; I could also see a clear sense of purpose.”

Chandra Kumar Dhanuka, Chairman, Dhunseri: Never lost any mandays because of labour problems. I take the responsibility to say that the industrial relation in West Bengalis better than any other States in India.”

Sanjay Budhia, MD, Patton: “No mandays were wasted in our factories. New factory received license and other required papers from the Government within seven days.”

YC Deveswar, Chairman, ITC Limited: “I have come to London in spite of my busy schedule because I wanted to let you know about my experiences of doing business in Bengal. I think there are very less markets in India such as West Bengal. Consumption level is increasing by 3% per annum here.”

Harsh Neotia, Chairman, Ambuja Neotia Group: “Kolkata will judge you first. If it likes you, it will give you the warmest of welcomes. You have to come here with the mindset of playing a long innings.”

Head of Apollo Tyres: “The presentation about Bengal and the case studies shown have been an eye-opener.”

Sanjeev Goenka: Though we are happy with our investments in UK, we are happier with our investments in Bengal.”

 

No red tape, backlogs in Bengal: WB CM in London

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee has called on the UK to invest in her state stating that “backlogs and red tape are gone”.

In reference to the progress made by the Trinamool Congress government over the last four years, she said “If there is a vision, there is a mission…(otherwise) there will be no action plan also”.

“If you say London is the (financial) capital of the world, I say Bengal is the human capital of the world,” she said in her address at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) last evening.

Later in the day , Lord Swraj Paul called on Mamata in her hotel. Paul, said he was willing to help Bengal in “whatever way possible”.

The Chief Minister, who walked around London yesterday, covered over 12km in two hours.

A closed-door business meeting at Asia House is scheduled later today.

 

WB CM returns a day early from London in view of impending cyclone in Bengal

Updated at 8 AM on 30.07.2015

Wherever she is, in whatever country and time zone, the West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee’s priority for Bengal is always on top.

Mamata Banerjee decided to leave for Kolkata a day early because of the impending cyclone in Bengal. She has spoken to the Home Secretary of the State and has asked the administration to take all precautions.

The Principal Secretary, Mayor of Kolkata, MPs Derek O’Brien and Sugata Bose and few other officers are returning with the Chief Minister. Dr Amit Mitra, Chief Secretary, other Principal Secretaries and rest of the delegation will return as per schedule.

In spite of her hectic schedule and numerous meetings in London, the West Bengal Chief Minister is keeping a hawk-eye over the flood situation in Bengal due to heavy rain.

The Chief Minister has been instructing the State irrigation minister to provide relief to the affected people in places which are water-logged and about quick action regarding removal of water from the affected places.

The Chief Minister also has spoken to the Task Force created to prevent flood in the State when three of the rivers in the State are flowing above the danger mark.

Press meet by WB CM in London on 29.07.2015:

  • We received the news of an impending cyclone and flood situation in Bengal this morning
  • I feel my presence is required in Bengal for monitoring the situation. I have decided to leave for Kolkata tonight
  • Along with me few of my officers, MPs Derek O’Brien & Sugata Bose, Mayor of Kolkata will also leave tonight
  • Rest of the delegation, including Dr Amit Mitra, Chief Secretary and industrialists will leave as per schedule
  • We had very successful meetings over the last two and a half days. Some important ones are scheduled today also
  • The business meet at Locarno Suite was very successful. We signed 21 MoUs. Even @UKIBC meet was good
  • We have a meeting with industrialists at Asia House today followed by a meeting with Lord Swraj Paul
  • After the scheduled meetings of the day are over, we will leave for the airport directly
  • As per IST, our flight is at 2 AM tonight and we will arrive at Kolkata tomorrow at 5 PM
  • We are thankful to all the industrialists who came to London to take the message of Biswa Bangla to the world
  • 85 delegates in the team that came from Bengal came on their own expense
  • We are closely monitoring the situation in Bengal. I have spoken to the Home Secretary also

 

Here are the tweets of West Bengal CM:

Asia House, UK praises WB CM in a private briefing

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee will address the Asia House corporate members on July 29 at the organization’s head quarters at 63, New Cavendish Street.

On its website, the Asia House published a private briefing regarding the address by the West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee to be held on July 29.

Asia House is a Pan-Asian organization based in UK, which aims to build dynamic links between the diverse communities of Europe and Asia.

The Private Briefing by the Asia House, London, UK:

“West Bengal is the sixth largest economy in India. Strategically located, bordering Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, with proximity to Myanmar, the state of West Bengal is a key gateway to Southeast Asian markets. It has abundant natural resources and a growing IT sector. However, it lags behind in infrastructure development.

Mamata Banerjee, the current and 8th Chief Minister of West Bengal, will brief Asia House corporate members on West Bengal’s economic prospects and the steps the government of West Bengal is taking to make the state a more attractive investment destination.

West Bengal has historically been a highly indebted state owing to poor tax collection and large amounts of state revenues being used to pay back interest on debt. Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, the state government is making efforts to encourage higher revenue mobilisation and enhance capital expenditure. The state is undergoing a major deregulation drive to make doing business in the state easier, faster and more transparent. Upgrading social infrastructure is running parallel to strengthening industrial infrastructure. Attractive incentive packages and regulations have also been introduced to attract investment.

Banerjee created history in the state with a sweeping victory in the 2011 Legislative Assembly Elections of West Bengal that uprooted the 34-year-long Left Front government led by the Communist Party of India. This marked the end of the longest ruling democratically elected Communist party in the world.

In May 2013 she was voted by the largest anti-corruption coalition of India, India Against Corruption, as the most honest politician in India. Time magazine in 2012 named her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Mamata Banerjee is the current Chief Minister of West Bengal and the first woman to hold the office. She also holds the record of being the first woman Union Cabinet Railways Minister of the nation, serving the post twice. She is the chairperson of All India Trinamool Congress Party which she founded in 1997 after splitting from the Indian National Congress. She is a seasoned politician having also served as Union Cabinet Minister of Coal and Mines and as Union Minister of State for the Human Resource Development in the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports; and Department of Women and Child Development.

Mamata Banerjee is leading a delegation of top industry and business leaders with senior representatives from her government to London.”

West Bengal invites UK to ‘ride its growth story’

The West Bengal government has assured British investors that it has taken steps to bring down the labour strikes to zero levels, as it made a strong case for attracting investments.

“We are setting up systems in place. There has been a radical shift since 2010-11, when 7.6 lakh work days were lost [due to labour strikes]. By 2013, the number of working days lost came down to zero. It takes time for mind-sets to change but please come to Bengal and we can assure very clear worker management processes,” West Bengal’s Finance Minister Amit Mitra said.

He was speaking at a gathering of British and Indian business delegates, organised by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC).

The minister also highlighted the state’s “transparent” process of e-services introduced at all levels, including tax collection, tenders and other areas of services.

“The World Bank has cleared funds for Hooghly riverfront regeneration. We do competitive, transparent, e-based bidding and the UK has the expertise so it must connect up on this project,” the minister said.

Energy, education, smart cities projects and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were the other key sectors highlighted by the West Bengal team as offering great potential for partnerships between the state and UK.

Mitra is the part of a 62-member delegation led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to London this week.

“Bengal in London: Come to Bengal, Ride the Growth” is the theme behind the delegation.

“States are the building blocks of India’s growth and Prime Minister Modi has recognised this in providing a larger role to the states. West Bengal, with its dynamic chief minister and able team, is attracting investors like never before. Doing business in Bengal today is easier, simpler and faster,” said Jyotsna Suri, chairperson of the Bharat Group and president of the Federation Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Sumit Mazumder, chairman and managing director of TIL Limited and president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said, “West Bengal is a state with a GDP higher than the national average of the country. It offers lots of opportunities. I urge you to come and find out for yourself.

Mamata in London – Day 2 itinerary

On the 2nd day of her visit to London, West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee will hold several meeting throughout the day.

From morning to noon, the West Bengal Chief Minister will be present in meetings regarding Transportation for London, regarding opportunities in Energy and Natural Resources and with officials of the Horniman Museum for collaboration on restoration of musical instruments.

In the afternoon, the Chief Minister will attend a meeting with the Indian delegates and MOU partners at St. James Court.

In the late afternoon, the West Bengal Chief Minister will visit the Parliament Square to pay floral tributes at the Mahatma Gandhi statue and then to the Tavistok Square to pay floral tributes at the Rabindranath Tagore statue.

Today, the West Bengal Chief Minister will also have a meeting  Lord Swraj Paul.

Bengal growth story not highlighted on national scale: Amit Mitra

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.

Expect to sign over 20 MoUs in UK: Mamata

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said she was expecting to sign over 20 MoUs during her five-day visit to the United Kingdom.

Mamata Banerjee, who left for UK on Sunday, told media persons: “We hope to attract investment to make West Bengal an ideal destination.”

“In all, around 100 people are going to London. We will sign 22 to 23 MoUs, which will be good for business. We will focus on areas such as infrastructure development, education, health and tourism,” said the CM.

The meetings are scheduled to begin with a conference of British CEOs at the UK India Business Council meet on July 27. She would also attend a meeting of UKIBC and FICCI to discuss various issues related to business opportunities in the state on the same day.

The CM would also meet the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, at the Buckingham Palace. Ms Banerjee would meet British Employment Minister Priti Patel at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office where several MoUs would be signed.

On July 28, she would meet several business delegates, secretaries and partners who would also sign some MoUs. She would pay floral tributes at the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

There would also be a cultural event in the evening at the Natural History Museum.