Mamata Banerjee stresses on need for inclusive growth

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, without naming anyone, Thursday said that there is a need for inclusive growth rather than polarisation in the Covid-19 pandemic scenario.

The pandemic has caused a lot of people to lose their jobs and their lives, Banerjee said while speaking at the virtual Infocom 2020, a business-technology event organised by a private group.

"We will have to wait for the vaccine (for Covid-19). There must be some long-term plan on how to survive. Need to focus on the right priorities and in inclusive growth rather than polarisation," she said.

Bengal respects each and everyone, the Chief Minister said and quoted Rabindranath Tagore's famous poem "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high ....".

She said that despite the pandemic situation, West Bengal is moving ahead and though the state's earning is low, it is better than that in several other states.

Banerjee said that West Bengal is number one in growth in the state domestic product, self-governance, e-tendering, MSME, unorganised sector, steel, eradication of poverty, and ease of doing business.

The state has the largest self-governance structure and around 1500 IT companies are working in it. Major names like TCS, Wipro, Cognizant, IBM, Capgemini are working here.

According to her, nearly 2.10 lakh IT professionals are working in the state and the proposed Silicon Valley hub in New Town, which has an investment outlay of Rs 3,000 crore and will provide jobs to 9,000 more people.

Expansion of the functioning of IT companies like Wipro and TCS will add to the number of jobs, while 3,000 professionals will find employment opportunity at ITC Infotech whose project in New Town is almost complete.

Infosys will also set up its design centre for which it has taken land in New Town which will be completed in two years. ITC Infotech has almost completed its facility with an employment opportunity for 3000 professionals.

The Chief Minister said, "Our talent need not go outside the state and move around the world to look for jobs. Already 2.10 lakh IT professionals have found employment in the last eight years in West Bengal. The Silicon Valley project with a proposed investment of Rs 3000 crore at New Town will employ around 9000 professionals".

The state has 65 industrial parks, 520 clusters and an animation academy, she added.

"Reliance has taken land, while TCS will set up a new campus as many new investments are coming. So far 20 fresh proposals have been cleared there", she added.

The initial allotment of 100 acres is full, another 100 acres are being given for the hub, she added.

TCS, which currently employs 44,000 professionals, will raise their hiring to 61,000 which will make it the largest in the country, she said.

The back office of HSBC employs 3000 people and the rural IT parks have an occupancy rate of 80 per cent, the Chief Minister said.

The upcoming fintech hub, also in New Town area, has been occupied by several banks like the State Bank of India and other financial institutions, she said.

"We want to be positive despite the negative scenario. The state is the gateway to the northeast and other countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand and Singapore," Banerjee said.

Since May 2011 when the Trinamool Congress came to power in West Bengal, major indices like state GDP, plan expenditure, capital expenditure, social and physical infrastructure have shown remarkable growth, the Chief Minister said.

"Companies want to invest in the state. It was evident in the business summits held here," she said at Infocom 2020, an initiative of the ABP Group.