The country's top industrialists reposed confidence in the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal and various industry houses committed about Rs 20,000 crore investment in the state on the inaugural day of the sixth edition of Bengal Global Business Summit on Wednesday.
The Adani Group alone committed Rs 10,000 crore investment over a decade in world class port infrastructure, state-of-the-art data centres and undersea cables that will connect them across oceans, centres of excellence in digital innovation, massive fulfilment centres, besides warehouses and logistics parks.
Adani Port is the highest bidder for the Tajpur deep sea port but the state is yet to announce the company as the L1 bidder. Group chairman Gautam Adani said the investment will help generate 25,000 direct and indirect employment.
He praised the social initiatives of the Mamata Banerjee government like 'Utkarsh Bangla' for school dropouts and 'Sabuj Sathi' to provide cycles to school children. "No wonder your popularity is unmatched, your charisma remarkable and the trust your people have in you unshakeable," he said.
JSW chairman Sajjan Jindal did not announce any figures but sought to build a 900MW pumped storage hydel project. The project of such size will attract Rs 7000-7500 crore investment.
Gautam Adani said the investment in Tajpur deep sea port will help generate 25,000 direct and indirect employment. Mamata Banerjee's Facebook
"If you look closely the government of West Bengal has consistently evolved its policies and vision to maintain its competitive position," he said. Hindustan Unilever MD Sanjiv Mehta in his address praised the state leadership and said the chief minister has courage and conviction to dream of change. HUL has four factories in Bengal and the MNC will continue to invest in physical infrastructure and market.
Tata Steel MD and CEO T V Narendran lauded Banerjee and the state administration and said the group will invest Rs 600 crore for expansion in the state. He congratulated the state government for having CII as a national partner or the investment summit and said TCS and the Tata hotel arm will continue to expand in West Bengal. Hiranandani Group boss Niranjan Hiranandani committed Rs 1500 for data Centre and industrial logistics park.
"I am surprised when the country registered degrowth during COVID pandemic, Bengal had registered a growth," he said. Wipro chairman Rishad Premji said the company's second campus project will commence soon an a few hundred crore rupees will be invested. During the day several MoUs were signed in various sectors but details were not disclosed.
