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I would invest in West Bengal under Mamata, says Lord Swraj Paul
Paul recently visited Kolkata, where he opened a new wing at Loreto College named after his wife Aruna Paul, a college alumnus. He said West Bengal had a much better investment climate than Banerjee was given credit for.
Industrialist Lord Swraj Paul believes that the investment climate in West Bengal has improved considerably under chief minister Mamata Banerjee – enough to encourage him to invest in the state if he were younger.
Paul recently visited Kolkata, where he opened a new wing at Loreto College named after his wife Aruna Paul, a college alumnus. He told Hindustan Times on Tuesday that much had improved in the city in recent years.
“Kolkata has never looked cleaner. I would invest in the state if I were 50 years younger, but at 86 I am not sure I have the capacity to see a project to completion. But I would love to do something which would be of service to the people of West Bengal,” he said.
A member of the British House of Lords, Paul, who has long-standing business and personal links with Kolkata, said West Bengal had a much better investment climate than the chief minister was given credit for.
In New Delhi, Paul met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several ministers and said he got the “clear signal” that corruption had become a bad word in India today. According to him, India has now become more respectable in business and corporate circles abroad.
“Much, of course, remains to be done, but I am now very positive about India. The status of India and its people has been raised at the international level. We can see this in the public discourse in the United Kingdom and elsewhere,” he said.
Known for his proximity to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Paul – a Padma Vubhushan awardee – has been a close observer of politics in India and the UK, besides being a key investor in both countries.
