CM Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar greet each other at a milan mela hosted by the government in Kolkata on the eve of the summit. (Express Photo by Partha Paul) WITH THE two-day Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) set to begin in Kolkata today, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will stay at Eco-Tourism Island, near the venue of the summit at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, instead of her Kalighat residence which is nearly 20 km away, for two nights, said sources with the state administration.
“She wants to closely monitor all aspects and preparations, which is possible only when she stays close to the venue. And thus, she has decided to stay at Eco-Tourism Island beginning Tuesday night till the completion of the summit on Thursday night,” said a senior official of the state administration.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will inaugurate the two-day summit at 2 pm on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the state government hosted a dinner for the guests and other dignitaries at Milan Mela Ground, where the Chief Minister interacted with some of the delegates, said the official.
“This year, the business summit is very crucial for the Mamata Banerjee government as the state is facing a severe unemployment problem. Mamata Banerjee has already completed over ten years in the office, but till now, no major investment in the state was materialised. A large number of people from the state migrated due to the unemployment problem as a result of the Covid pandemic. Besides, Mamata Banerjee had promised before the 2021 assembly elections that she would give utmost priority to the industrialisation in the state,” said the official.
According to the state government, in 2019, BGBS had seen the participation of more than 4,000 delegates, including 450 international delegates from 35 countries, and the business proposed in the earlier five editions of the BGBS amounts to Rs 12,35,578 crore.
According to the government website, the two-day summit will have plenary and sectoral sessions and business-to-government and business-to-business interactions, apart from providing digital space for exhibitions and networking. The focus sectors are infrastructures, agriculture and allied activities, industries, including micro, small, medium enterprises, and services such as health and education, tourism, IT& IteS, and mining.
Criticising the government over the industrial situation in Bengal, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “The government always maintained that many business proposals had come, but never disclosed the actual investment. The government gave us false information. It has been trying to mislead people.”
BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, “The Chief Minister is going to Eco Park for fresh air, but in West Bengal, there is a smell of explosives in the air. West Bengal is no more a business destination for which TMC is responsible.”
“Organising such an event holds importance. The state will be able to showcase itself as a preferred investment destination among industry doyens, particularly when the global supply chain has been disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic, and industries are trying to diversify their operations in the post-Covid era,” economist and Jadavpur University Professor Ajitava Raychaudhuri said.
— with PTI inputs
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