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.
Economists and analysts are losing sleep over what would be the financial future of the state.
The policies that kept the Left Front in power for 30 years are proving major obstacles in the state's bid to industrialise.
The West Bengal government on Monday introduced two amendment bills in the state Assembly to boost investments in the state.
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.
West Bengal was the second-most industrialised state in terms of value added and first in terms of number of factories and employment even in the mid-1960s. With a severe and long process of deindustrialisation, it lost its primacy.
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.
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.
'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.'
Then chief minister Jyoti Basu once told an industrialist that capitalists were class enemies and he should expect no sympathy.
Experts say moratorium on interest not a solution, debt needs to be restructured; state must look for avenues to increase revenue and curtail expenditure.
Ministers arrested post-2014 who, if the 130 Constitutional Amendment had been in effect, would have been unseated from office.
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.
'This is the Bengal story, where businesses are nurtured, dreams are realised, and legacies are built.'
The West Bengal government said it was ready to provide all kinds of support for development of the IT industry.
'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.
West Bengal is poised to become the rape capital of India, but its chief minister refuses to face reality, says Debosmita Sarkar.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
The CPI-M leader was the chief minister of the state from 2000 to 2011.
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.
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.
'At COP30, the emphasis will be on unlocking climate finance, reinforcing the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and building resilience through inclusive transitions and the mainstreaming of adaptation.'
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.
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.
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.
India, the land that gave the world Darjeeling and Assam tea, risks losing its place at the global tea table, not because of its leaves, but because of its lost opportunities, notes Kanika Datta.
The National Democratic Alliance was set to sweep the Bihar assembly polls, surging ahead in over 200 of 243 seats on Friday with the Bharatiya Janata Party emerging as single largest party with about 90 per cent strike rate, reaffirming the popularity and campaign clout of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the face of the ruling alliance through the poll battle in the highly sensitive political state.
In a strong message to the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that West Bengal and Darjeeling were inseparable.
If he cannot do it this term by using his bureaucracy and experts from different fields, it will be a tragedy, asserts Ramesh Menon.
In 2006-07, TCS had employed 7,000 people in the eastern states.
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.
Partha Chatterjee, former West Bengal industry minister, says it is a gross misconception that the government's policy is anti-industry.
While other states are becoming competitive, Gujarat, say experts is not paying enough attention to maintaining its own position in terms of business reforms.
Left to its machinations, the BJP would have loved to cut Nitish down to size, but it can't afford to do so as the JD-U is in alliance with the BJP at the Centre, and cannot form a government on its own in Bihar. For now, both need each other: Nitish for legitimacy, the BJP for numbers, points out Ramesh Menon.
'The US slump could hit our hosiery market hard since 40 per cent of our exports go there.' 'Job losses could be severe if the government doesn't step in fast.'
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