Two-day Bengal Global Business Summit to begin from April 20
The Bengal Global Business Summit 2019 had attracted participation of over 4,000 delegates including 450 international delegates from 35 countries. The business proposed in the earlier five editions of BGBS amounts to ₹1,235,578 crore, according to data shared by the state government.
The two-day Bengal Global Business Summit – a flagship industrial summit of the Mamata Banerjee-administration – is all set to take off from April 20 after a gap of two years.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the summit when she met him in November 2021. State government officials, however, could not confirm whether Modi would be attending the summit.
“We could not organise the BGBS in the past two years because of the pandemic. So far I know 14 countries are participating in this year’s BGBS. I feel that Bengal is the gateway of industries,” Banerjee had said last week while inaugurating a permanent exhibition centre in Kolkata.
BGBS 2019 had attracted participation of over 4,000 delegates including 450 international delegates from 35 countries. The business proposed in the earlier five editions of BGBS amounts to ₹1,235,578 crore, according to data shared by the state government.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had on multiple occasions slammed the government for not sharing details of investments received from five editions of BGBS. Earlier the Governor had also asked former state finance minister Amit Mitra to come up with a white paper.
The summit will have plenary sessions, sectoral sessions, B2G and B2B interactions apart from providing digital space for exhibitions and business networking. The focus sector for this summit includes infrastructure, agriculture and allied activities, industries including MSME, services including health and education, tourism, international trade, IT& ITeS and mining.
“We are expecting a huge delegation from the United Kingdom this year. A delegation comprising around 49 names and representing a wide range of business and other institutions are expected this year,” said an official.
The opposition, however, has taken a swipe at the Trinamool Congress-led government in the state.
“As soon as we switch on the TV or read the newspapers, we will find incidents of murders, rapes, violence and bombings. This is the present picture of Paschim Banga. And this picture is being seen by people all over the world. With what hope shall the industrialists invest?” tweeted Dilip Ghosh, BJP’s national vice president.