Then chief minister Jyoti Basu once told an industrialist that capitalists were class enemies and he should expect no sympathy.
Trinamool Congress candidate and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce And Industry secretary general Amit Mitra, pitted against Communist Party of India-Marxist candidate and West Bengal Finance minister Ashim Dasgupta, is confident that his party is heading for a victory at the forthcoming Assembly elections.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that the state received investment proposals worth Rs 3.42 lakh crore during this year's business summit. Addressing the valedictory session of the Bengal Global Business Summit, she said that a total of 137 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Letters of Intent (LoI) were signed for the investments. Banerjee also said that the summit would create 40 lakh new jobs across sectors.
Experts say moratorium on interest not a solution, debt needs to be restructured; state must look for avenues to increase revenue and curtail expenditure.
A nationwide strike called by central trade unions saw a mixed response across India, impacting various sectors and states differently, with some areas experiencing disruptions while others remained largely unaffected.
The Forum is organised by Singapore Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, with the partnership of state-trade agency IE Singapore, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Bharat Electronics, Reliance Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, InterGlobe Aviation, ICICI Bank and UltraTech Cement were among the other major gainers. Axis Bank, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Trent and Titan were the laggards.
The West Bengal government said it was ready to provide all kinds of support for development of the IT industry.
Among major engagements in 2026 is the visit of the European Union leadership, chief guests at the Republic Day parade.
'The land is partly with the government, partly with the company. In the changed economic scenario, I cannot say how quickly another plant will come up there,' said West Bengal's Industry Minister Nirupam Sen.
A nationwide strike called by trade unions to protest against the central government's labor policies had a mixed impact across India. While normal life remained largely unaffected in most parts of the country, some sectors like banking, transport, and insurance experienced disruptions. Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in West Bengal.
West Bengal is poised to become the rape capital of India, but its chief minister refuses to face reality, says Debosmita Sarkar.
Senior TMC MP Saugata Roy's comments on the Durgapur gang rape case, advising women to be cautious, have sparked controversy. This follows similar remarks by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, drawing criticism from opposition parties.
Satadru Dutta's rise was swift and ambitious. But that journey took a dramatic nosedive on Saturday.
The combined Left parties drew a blank in the polls to the assembly which they had run with an overwhelming majority for 34 long years, with their vote share dwindling to a mere 5.47 per cent in 2021.
'This is the Bengal story, where businesses are nurtured, dreams are realised, and legacies are built.'
A directional landmine blast took place at Baroa, 17 km from Salboni, from where the West Bengal CM, Paswan, state industry minister Nirupam Sen and industrialist Sajjan Jindal were returning after laying the foundation stone of Jindal Steel Works plant, police said.
Although Infosys was given 50 acre at Rajarhat for setting up its first development centre in West Bengal, the firm was insisting on getting special economic zone status, which the state was not keen to consider due to political reasons.
Technology Innovation: Sword or Plough looks at key moments in recent history, noting how key technological changes at pivotal moments had unimaginable consequences, both positive and negative. It makes for enjoyable and insightful reading.
Budget 2026 sticks to fiscal discipline, shuns populist measures despite five key state elections coming up, but ends up rattling stock markets with a higher transaction tax on derivatives trading.
Ministers arrested post-2014 who, if the 130 Constitutional Amendment had been in effect, would have been unseated from office.
While the Trinamool government, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, tried its best to attract investors, including from Singapore, not much headway could be made.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has launched an integrated audit across 32 states and Union Territories to assess the ease of doing business for the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector.
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani on Wednesday announced a fresh investment commitment of Rs 50,000 crore in West Bengal by the end of this decade. Speaking at the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) 2025, Ambani said the investment would generate one lakh jobs in the state.
On Wednesday, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons Ratan said that while driving from the airport through Rajarhat, he came across beautiful buildings but it looked like a countryside under development with no signs of industrialisation.
Normal life was partially affected in West Bengal on Thursday following a state-wide 12-hour general strike called by Left Parties and trade unions, with the Bharatiya Janata Party also calling a 10-hour bandh to protest against alleged violence by ruling Trinamool Congress in the recent civic polls.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday said that the focus of the Trinamool Congress government will be on industrial development in the state for which packages will be drawn up. Speaking at the inaugural session of ABP Infocom virtually, Banerjee said the target of the government now is to promote development of industry in West Bengal and all industries will be given equal importance. "Our state is number one in imparting social justice. "Now our target is industry. More importance will be given to it now. Packages for the industry will come", she said adding that West Bengal will be the new industrial destination in the country.
In a strong message to the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that West Bengal and Darjeeling were inseparable.
In 2006-07, TCS had employed 7,000 people in the eastern states.
Partha Chatterjee, former West Bengal industry minister, says it is a gross misconception that the government's policy is anti-industry.
The CPI-M leader was the chief minister of the state from 2000 to 2011.
'Raising the retrenchment, layoff and closure threshold to 300 workers for prior government permission enables hire-and-fire in more than 90 per cent of the Indian workplaces. More than 12,00,000 disputes are now pending for adjudication with an average disposal period ranging from 3 to five years for more than 75 per cent of the disputes.'
A gas cylinder blast in a house at Dholahat in West Bengal's Pathar Pratima has claimed eight lives, including four children. The explosion, which occurred on Monday night, triggered a massive fire, intensified by the presence of stacked firecrackers inside the house. The incident has sparked a political controversy, with the BJP demanding a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe and the TMC maintaining that the police are already investigating and that the state government has a "zero-tolerance " policy towards such incidents. The blast has also raised concerns about the safety of illegal firecracker manufacturing units, which have been linked to several recent accidents in the state.
While other states are becoming competitive, Gujarat, say experts is not paying enough attention to maintaining its own position in terms of business reforms.
Mamata Banerjee was on Friday sworn in as the chief minister of West Bengal for the second consecutive time, heading a 42-member ministry.
IT major Infosys Technologies will start construction work on its first software development centre in West Bengal, at Rajarhat near here, in three to six months, a top company official said on Friday.
The TMC-led West Bengal government has already started laying the groundwork for the election, setting the tone with the recent Bengal Global Business Summit and the state Budget.
Three of the junior doctors who were observing 'fast unto death' in Kolkata and Siliguri city in the northern part of the state have so far been hospitalised after their condition deteriorated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the TMC, accusing them of prioritizing vote-bank politics over national security and Bengali identity by promoting infiltration. He also highlighted the BJP's vision for a developed and prosperous Bengal, promising a clean break from the past.
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