WB needs to create growth environment; Centre to support: FM

In a blunt message to West Bengal leadership, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has a responsibility to deliver on promises, even as he assured full support to the state for economic development.
"Madam Chief Minister, you have a mandate to rule the state, and therefore, you have the responsibility to deliver what was promised," the Finance Minister said while addressing the West Bengal Global Business Summit.
At the same time, he also assured that the Centre would 'strongly support' West Bengal government in its growth aspirations and said that India remains a strong federal state despite political differences.

"Centre will strongly support the West Bengal government and I assure that," Jaitley said in reply to remarks made by Banerjee that political differences would not block the road to development in the state.
"In all areas where states want to prosper, we are here to fully support you... Collectively all states will have to grow," Jaitley said.
Banerjee had earlier said in the morning on the first day of the Summit that "political differences will not block the road to development and in a federal structure, a strong state will ensure a strong Centre which is also needed for good governance."

Stressing on the need to attract investments, Jaitley said, "We need to create an environment where we do not merely attract investment, but also promise profitable return on that investment.... Investment will lead to greater investment."

Referring to specific issues concerning West Bengal, he said industries moved out of the state despite several advantages.
"Our challenge is to re-establish West Bengal as an industrial centre once again," he said, adding that one of the biggest challenges is to improve the ease of doing business.
"Investor has a choice... He has a choice of which state to invest in. He also has a choice of which country to invest in and therefore we have to narrow down his choice so that his choice focuses on India as a particular state," he said.

The Finance Minister further said that West Bengal would benefit from coal auction and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).