West Bengal to host global business summit on December 7, Union Ministers including Arun Jaitley set to attend

The fourth edition of the two-day annual investment summit by West Bengal government beginning in Kolkata  on December 7 is set to be a high-voltage event, to be attended by union ministers Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari besides Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a host of industrialists.

Some 500-strong delegation from India and aboard are expected to join the investment extravaganza. The state government is attempting to use 'Bengal Global Business Summit 2015' platform to showcase West Bengal as an ideal investment destination. West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra had stated last Friday that the state has attracted over Rs 83,000 crore investments, including from leading corporates, during the last three and a half years' of Mamata Banerjee government.

Mitra had said that the country's big corporate houses will attend Bengal Global Business Summit. Delegations from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the UK, the US and Australia are also expected to participate.
Both state government officials here and CII, the organising partner, are however keeping the participants' details under close wrap. Mukesh Ambani had attended the Bengal government's industry roadshow in Mumbai in 2014.

Industrialists here expect announcement of some industry-friendly policies by the state government during the summit. "We expect state government to announce a new tourism policy at the summit," a top city-based hotel chain executive told PTI.

The contentious issues during the business summit could be land and Goods and Services Tax (GST). The Trinamool Congress government had opposed both Land Acquisition Act and introduction of GST unless it gets constitutional protection to revenue shortfall, if any.