Kolkata:West Bengalis about to set up Rs 72,000-crore industrial zone in Junglemahal along the eastern freight corridor, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Wednesday at the launch of the sixth edition of Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) here. "We have allocated 2,483 acre of industrial land at Purulia for the Junglemahal Shundori Kormonagari' project along the eastern freight corridor from Amritsar to Dankuni", she said.
Industrial stalwarts and representatives from 49 countries are attending the summit that is taking place in person after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "Bengal is a consumption-based economy, for instance, people spend Rs 30,000-40,000 crore during Durga Puja festival alone. Bengal will soon launch a policy on grant of shale-gas exploration licences," Mamata said in her address. She added that by 2023, the state will join the national gas grid.
Major business tycoons including Gautam Adani, Executive Chairman of Wipro Rishad Prasad (AzimPremiji’s son), JSW chairman Sajjan Jindal, among others were present at the summit. The Chief Minister said that the state lost 75 lakh man-days every year during Left Front rule however now, under the TMC regime no man-days were lost. "West Bengal is the first state in India to organise a physical business summit since the Covid pandemic struck," she said adding the state was a gateway to eastern and northeastern India, neighbouring Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal as well as South East Asia. West Bengal will work on eight pillars of development going ahead, including infrastructure, education, social security, skill development and ease-of-doing-business, Banerjee added.