The upcoming Bengal Global Business Summit -- the state's annual marquee event to woo investors from across the globe -- will see the "biggest-ever" UK delegation of 49 senior figures in attendance, officials said on Monday.
The contingent will include top personalities from a wide range of businesses, institutions and universities, who would represent the United Kingdom at the BGBS here on April 20-21, they said.
"The British Deputy High Commission and British Council Kolkata will bring the biggest-ever UK delegation to the BGBS," the British Deputy High Commission Kolkata said in a release.
"...the 2030 Roadmap agreed by our prime ministers in May last year promised to transform trade and investment between the UK and India. That's what we're here to do. I want to increase the United Kingdom's portfolio of investments and partnerships in West Bengal..." said Nick Low, British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata.
There is strong interest from UK companies looking to expand existing investments in the state and from others who are new to India, he said.
Focus will also be on education, research, creative economy and sustainable tourism during the two-day engagements, the release said.
Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director East and Northeast India, British Council, said, "West Bengal has an enviable pool of education and research talent...we have several top UK universities taking part in BGBS deliberations, which will create opportunities for young people from both Bengal and Britain and build on existing research partnerships between higher education institutions."
The state's flagship business summit will feature nine focus sectors, including mining, agriculture and allied activities, IT/ITeS, MSME, infrastructure and tourism.
The last edition of the event held in 2019 attracted participation of 4,000 delegates and 35 countries. The volume of business proposed in the earlier five editions amounted to Rs 12,35,578 crore, industry sources said.
It could not be held for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
