Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday reaffirmed her government's commitment to industrial growth and rejected the opposition's claim of lack of investment in the state, stating that projects worth Rs 13 lakh-crore from the last seven editions of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) have been completed out of Rs 19 lakh-crore worth of proposals.
Speaking at the eighth edition of BGBS, Banerjee addressed criticism from the opposition regarding investment materialisation.
"Of the Rs 19 lakh crore investment proposals received in the last seven editions, Rs 13 lakh crore has already been implemented, and the rest are in various stages of execution," she told reporters after the inauguration.
The summit, which saw participation from top industry leaders including Mukesh Ambani, Sajjan Jindal, Sanjiv Goenka, and Sanjiv Puri, also focused on infrastructure development.
She said actual investment proposals for the 8th edition of BGBS will be disclosed on Thursday.
She also said JSW Group has shown interest in developing the Andal airport into an international airport and reviving a closed plant in Durgapur.
Additionally, Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran, who could not attend due to prior commitments, sent senior officials on behalf of the conglomerate.
The state government has urged Air India to introduce a direct Kolkata-Europe flight, she said.
During the interaction with reporters, Banerjee expressed satisfaction with the participation at BGBS 2025, calling it "unique." She said the final investment commitment figures for this edition would be announced after meetings with country delegations on Thursday.
Reliance has committed to Rs 50,000 crore investments, she added.
Adani Group remains committed to West Bengal, having already invested in port services and looking for more opportunities, an official said.
To further its engagement, the group has appointed Sanjay Thade, a retired IAS officer from the state government, as a dedicated advisor for West Bengal.
Subrat Tripathy, group president for business development (east), clarified that senior promoters could not attend due to family engagements related to Gautam Adani's son's wedding.
"Two of us from the group have attended, and senior Adani promoters could not come due to family commitments," Tripathy said. He added that the group welcomed the developments on the Deocha-Pachami coal block and the Digha-Raghunathpur corridor.
BGBS 2025, a two-day event held in New Town, Kolkata, has drawn over 200 delegates from 40 countries. The key focus sectors include manufacturing, MSMEs, defence, agriculture, international trade, tourism, IT & ITeS, healthcare, education, infrastructure, power, and sustainability.