Kolkata, June 16 (IANS) At least 42 industrialists have contacted State Commerce and Industries Minister Tapas Roy, expressing their desire to invest in West Bengal, said a State government insider on Tuesday. According to the official, the minister has assured them of cooperation in this regard.
The insider added that several announcements regarding investment in the industrial sector may be made during the current budget session of the State Assembly.
After coming to power, the Suvendu Adhikari government said there would be development in the State’s industrial sector, and that he himself would intervene in this regard.
After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) first came to power in West Bengal, the Centre asked NITI Aayog to prepare a long-term blueprint to revive West Bengal’s industry and economy. That work has already started under the leadership of NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri.
At the time of independence, West Bengal was the second richest State in India in terms of GDP. After a continuous decline, the State has now fallen to sixth place. Many blame the involvement of workers’ unions, political instability and administrative mistakes for this during the previous Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments’ rule.
During the election campaign in the State, the BJP repeatedly pointed the finger at the previous Trinamool government for failing to industrialise the State and attract fresh investment. The BJP had promised that, if it came to power, it would promote development in the industrial sector. This would happen thanks to the ‘double engine’ government. This time, about 42 industrialists have expressed their interest in investing in the State.
The first full budget of the BJP government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will be presented on June 22. State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta will present the State budget for the financial year 2026-27 at exactly 12 noon.
Since it is the first budget of the government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, extra importance is naturally being attached to it. There has been great interest from political circles and the general public in the outline the government is going to adopt in key areas such as the State’s economic recovery, industrialisation, employment generation, agriculture, and infrastructure development.
Observers believe that this budget may indicate the new government’s economic priorities and development plans for the next five years.
–IANS
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