Trying to change WB's perception of being not industry-friendly: Minister

West Bengal Industry and Commerce Minister Shashi Panja on Friday said the government is fighting hard to change the perception that the state is not industry friendly so that more investments can now come to the state.

Speaking at the AGM of Merchants' Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) here, Panja said the very notion of ease of doing business (EoDB) is being utilised to kill that perception of the past and the government is giving a major thrust on this area.

"The state government and the Industry department is fighting against decades of perception of West Bengal as being not so conducive investment destination. We are trying to kill that perception of the past. The Industry department is giving a major thrust on ease of doing business by introducing facilities like single-window clearance. Of course, there are some other things which need to be streamlined as well", Panja said.

She said that this negative perception of West Bengal should not prevail in the minds of investors so that it can influence their decisions.

Later speaking to reporters, she said that militant trade unionism in the past had made a dent on West Bengal's image as a conducive investment destination. This has to be changed, she said.

According to Panja, West Bengal is the sixth largest state in the country in terms of GSDP and the debt/GDP ratio has declined. "West Bengal serves as a gateway to the northeast and south-east Asia this heralds so much positivity about our state," the Industry minister said.

Stating that the government will not acquire land for industry, Panja said land parcels vested with various government departments are being accumulated together so that industry can set up their facilities there.

The minister also said that if land of any closed industry is used for real estate purposes then the concerned entities will have to intimate the government about changes in land use.

The identification process of economic corridors is being conducted while three industrial growth corridors have already been earmarked.

She said the state is home to 8.9 million MSME units and has a vibrant textiles, iron ore, steel and mining industries.

Minister of State for Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya said that the state will provide all facilities to industries so that they can flourish. "The government will render all kinds of assistance, though there is a financial crunch which the state is going through. "If any industry faces any problem, it can be solved sitting across the table", she said.

West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said that Bengal was once a pioneer in the field of industry. "Unfortunately, in the last 37-odd years, there was an atmosphere which was not in favour of industry. After 2011 when Mamata Banerjee came to power, situation has changed and there had been no instance of mandays lost. This is what the industry needs", he said.