�Joint investments can help expand trade in sub-Himalayan region�
BSS
Exploration of tremendous available prospects for setting up industries through private sector joint investments can expand business, trade and commerce to accelerate economic progress and peoples development in sub-Himalayan region, reports BSS from Shiliguri.
High officials, business leaders, industrialists of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh made these observations in the North Bengal Business Summit 2015 held at Savin Kingdom in Siliguri city of West Bengal yesterday with the theme of Enterprise North Bengal, Build North Bengal-Invest in Development: A Shared Responsibility.
Aligning with the West Bengal Government efforts, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) under sponsorships of a number of leading business and industrial organisations organised the summit to make North Bengal a prominent regional business and industrial hub as an investment destination.
The main objective of the summit was to search possibilities and explore prospects of setting up industries in various sectors in northern region of West Bengal, Bhutan, Nepal and northern Bangladesh under joint private sector investments to speed up economic development in the whole region.
The summit intended to identify areas of investment in tea tourism, tourism, SME, agriculture, food processing horticulture, IT, health, education for development and prepare strategies on how North Bengal could work together within districts, neighboring seven sisters Indian states and neighboring countries in exploring business potential.
Minister of Finance Excise, Commerce Industries, Public Enterprise, Industrial Reconstruction and Information Technology Electronics of the Government of West Bengal Amit Mitra attended the summit as the chief guest.
He formally inaugurated the summit by lighting candles along with high dignitaries and different delegation chiefs including President of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bangladesh Abdul Kashem and vested different stalls there.
Chairman of CII West Bengal State Council Ms Pallavi Kaul presided over and delivered welcome address in the opening ceremony moderated by Chairman of CII North Bengal Zonal Council Naresh Agarwal.
Forty-two delegations comprising over 300 participants (industry and government) from seven northern West Bengal districts, high officials, industry representatives, academicians, potential investors, delegations from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal and journalists participated in the event.
Secretary of the Department of North Bengal Development Divisional Commissioner of North Bengal Barun Ray, Past Chairman of CII North Bengal Zonal Council Kaushal Kumar Mittal, addressed the opening session, among others.
Barun Ray said the spontaneous participations of the business delegates from West Bengal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal has set up tone of the summit to speed up development through industrializations in the northern West Bengal and in whole sub-Himalayan region in next few years.
He forwarded suggestions for the central Indian government through the State government for relaxing the bordering obstacles to promote business, trade and commerce like the European Union type keeping in view the regional connectivity among these countries soon.
Amit Mitra cited epoch-making progress achieved by West Bengal government in infrastructures, education, health, electricity, trade, commerce and industrializations, revenue earning and many other sectors since coming to power in 2010-2011.
