West Bengal’s government plans to publish a white paper evaluating past investment pledges from Bengal Global Business Summits, as it prepares a new industrial policy aimed at attracting major investors and streamlining land acquisition challenges.
West Bengal’s government will publish a white paper assessing the fate of investment pledges made at the eight Bengal Global Business Summits held under the previous Trinamool administration, as the state tries to distinguish signed commitments from announcements that never moved beyond the stage of aspiration. Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Minister Tapas Roy said on Saturday the review would examine what was promised, what was actually signed and how much was ultimately delivered.
Roy’s remarks came at an industry interaction organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, where he also said the state was preparing a new industrial policy. He said a stakeholders’ meeting would be held on August 11, followed by another round of discussion and a Cabinet review before the policy is published. The framework is expected to place heavy emphasis on industrial land banks, a GIS-based land-mapping system and a stronger single-window clearance mechanism.
The policy is also likely to include incentives for sectors such as semiconductors, IT, jute, tea, textiles and garments, gems and jewellery, tourism, logistics, food processing and global capability centres. Roy said the government wanted to position Siliguri as a logistics and trade hub linking north Bengal with the north-eastern states and to push export-oriented industries, including by taking advantage of India’s existing and planned free-trade agreements. He also pointed to talks with British stakeholders on building out areas such as AI, data centres and other technology-heavy industries.
The investment push comes as the state seeks to project a more welcoming climate for major industrial houses, including the Aditya Birla Group. The Times of India reported that West Bengal has invited the group to invest after nearly five decades, a move that has added symbolism to the government’s efforts to draw attention to returning capital. At the same event, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya hailed the Birla group’s renewed interest as evidence that Bengal’s industrial atmosphere was changing.
Industry leaders at the Kolkata meeting, however, warned that land remains the central obstacle. Business representatives said securing private land is often slow and fragmented, with small parcels difficult to assemble for large projects. One industrialist suggested a model in which land could first be allotted on favourable terms and then converted into full ownership once a project is operational. Roy acknowledged the concern, saying land mafias had caused problems in several parts of the state and that the government would have to devise a more effective land policy.
There was also broader interest in the state’s industrial base and its links to overseas investors. Brij Bhushan Agarwal, president of the ICC and chairman and managing director of Shyam Metalics and Energy, said Bengal’s location, workforce and access to the north-east gave it natural advantages. UK Deputy High Commissioner Andrew Fleming said there was room for deeper collaboration between British and Indian businesses, particularly in AI, digital engineering and cloud computing.
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