West Bengal received Rs 1.15 trn proposals till Oct:Chatterjee

Defending his 31-month tenure, former West Bengal Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee today said the state received Rs 1.15 lakh crore worth of investment proposals till October this year.
"We have been able to usher in substantial positive changes in the industrial scenario of the state under the visionary guidance of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee," said Chatterjee, who still retains the IT and parliamentary affairs portfolios, at the inauguration of Industrial India Trade Fair organised by BNCCI here.
"In the last 31 months, the state had witnessed a number of policy reforms by the government to promote trade and industry," he added.

Chatterjee said: "Starting with the new IT policy and incentive scheme in 2012 up to the launch of new investment and Industrial Policy 2013, there were efforts to promote MSME sectors and the textile policy through separate policies."
He said: "I would like to substantiate the claims through data. Till October this year, the state had received investment proposals of Rs 1.15 lakh crore from 311 units with job creation of 3.40 lakh."
In a stern perform or perish message, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday stripped Chatterjee of his Commerce and Industry portfolio in a Cabinet reshuffle, giving the key department to Finance Minister Amit Mitra to give a boost to industrialisation in the state.

Chatterjee said that 627 acre of land had been allotted to 20 units at different industrial parks at an investment of Rs 3,657 crore.

He said that 52 more projects were in the pipeline.
The industry sector had witnessed a growth of 6.24 per cent, much above the national figure of 3.12 per cent, he added.
As he was also in-charge of the industrial reconstruction department, he said that units like WBMTDC, Mackintosh Burn and Saraswaty Press had turned around.
Chatterjee urged the members of BNCCI to set up IT and ITeS units in Tier II and Tier III cities.