Times Network & SRMB Jointly Hosted Growth Summit West Bengal

News Desk, News Nation 360 : India's top broadcast network, Times Network, held SRMB Presents Growth Summit West Bengal, which brought together prominent figures from academia, business, and government to discuss Bengal's development into a robust, future-ready growth engine for India. Engaging sessions during the summit addressed important pillars of Bengal's growth journey, from industrial transformation, skilling, and sustainable infrastructure to future-ready education, AI and robotics, and MSME empowerment. Dr Shashi Panja, Hon’ble Minister for Industries, Commerce & Enterprises, and Department of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal, stated that West Bengal has emerged as one of India's fastest-growing states. It has drawn more than ₹1.33 lakh crore in private investments. This generated 1.8 lakh jobs. The iron and steel industry takes the lead with ₹45,240 crore investment and 62,500 jobs. Oil, gas, and energy take the second place with ₹27,159 crore and 16,000 jobs. Logistics comes to ₹19,000 crore with 25,000 jobs. The state boasts 800 private industrial units. The combined contribution of the top 10 investors was ₹44,000 crore and 32,500 jobs. West Bengal is home to India's largest leather complex. It also boasts the largest hosiery park, foundry park, and railway manufacturing units. It is India's cement hub. Nine out of the major cement players have invested here. Bengal Silicon Valley occupies an area of 200 acres. It has attracted 11 data centres. Top IT players like TCS, Wipro, Infosys, and Cognizant are here. The 2023 Industrial Corridor Policy includes six strategic corridors. This is supported by a ₹3,485 crore ADB loan. The Logistics Policy (₹2,072 crore) enhances trade efficiency. The Tea Tourism Policy has seen 32 proposals. These are in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Jalpaiguri. The Sand Mining Policy has already generated ₹500 crore. It estimates ₹2,280 crore in five years. One of the biggest land reforms is the conversion of freehold land for industries. 21 proposals have been sanctioned. West Bengal takes the lead with 90 lakh MSMEs. It boasts 36.4% female-headed units. Female labour force participation stands at 12.73%. MSME credit is ₹8.6 lakh crore. This is backed by a 30X cluster expansion. There are also 35 GI-tagged Bengal products. This is an indicator of inclusive and sustainable industrial development. Prominent figures from the industry, such as Vinod Gupta, Managing Director of Dollar Industries; Prof. Ved Prakash, Former Chairman, University Grants Commission; Ashish Beriwala, Director of SRMB Srijan; Prof. Biswajoy Chatterjee, Vice Chancellor, UEM Jaipur; and others, provided practical advice on fostering inclusive entrepreneurship, establishing intelligent ecosystems, bridging academia and industry, and enhancing Bengal's position as a national economic engine.

Pic - Courtesy