New Delhi: West Bengal is recalibrating its industrial policy to encourage associations and chambers of commerce to develop product-specific industrial parks on land parcels provided by the state government, a senior official said on Friday.
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Subrata Gupta, Advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, said under the proposed model, industry bodies would develop and manage industrial parks based on their specific requirements, while the government would act as a facilitator.
“The industry associations and chambers can come forward with their requirements and we can provide them land parcels for developing product-specific industrial parks,” Gupta said at the AGM of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He said the move was part of efforts to recalibrate the state's industrial policy to attract investment, and create an ecosystem tailored to the requirements of different sectors.
Gupta also highlighted the state's growing focus on defence manufacturing, noting that among the land parcels recently been handed over to companies, two units are in the defence sector, and at least one will make detonators and shells for the armed forces.
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He said West Bengal aims to emerge as a key industrial and logistics gateway to the Indo-Pacific region rather than remain a passive participant in its growth story.
The Indo-Pacific accounts for about 60 percent of global GDP and nearly half of international maritime traffic, while around 90 percent of India's foreign merchandise trade passes through its waters, the senior official said.
Gupta also described the Bay of Bengal as a strategic link between South and Southeast Asia, with West Bengal's location offering opportunities through road and rail connectivity, freight and industrial corridors and the proposed deep-sea port.
The ‘Purvodaya’ initiative provided an industrial thrust to eastern India through manufacturing, mining and skill development, while the Act East Policy offered strategic direction for deeper engagement with Southeast Asia, he added.
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