West Bengal Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim on Wednesday urged industry and trade to promote entrepreneurship in the state.
"The state is among the top industrial investment destinations and the last edition of Bengal Global Business Summit saw it attracting investments of Rs 3.42 lakh crore which created an employment potential for 40 lakh people," he said. West Bengal also ranks among the top states in the MSME sector and saw the setting up of 550 clusters and IT exports from it touched Rs 26,000 crore, up from Rs 8000 crore in the last decade.
"We have skilled human resources. There had been no strike or man-days lost in the last 10 years. Besides, the state is spending huge money for the development of the social sector, which has increased from Rs 6000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore in the last ten years," he said.
Sharing his personal experience, Hakim said "I started as an entrepreneur myself and set up an SSI unit. I had to arrange for finance and identify the markets for selling the products. So I urge the trade and industry to help the entrepreneurs in these areas." Bengal has a stable government under the leadership of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and targets to build a sustainable state for the future generations, he added. Engineering exports from West Bengal touched USD 1.8 million and the state is going big on seafood exports, which is expected to touch Rs 20,000 crore. Besides serving as a gateway to south east Asia, West Bengal also gives access to north east and eastern regional states, Hakim added.