Kolkata: State industry and finance minister Amit Mitra said on Tuesday that over 5,500 delegates from various countries across the world will attend the event which will be held this year at the Milan Mela. The annual biz conclave will bring together policy makers, corporate leaders from around the globe, delegations and academia to explore business opportunities, forge partnerships and collaborations. “As many as 3000 delegates from countries like Germany, Poland, China, Japan Russia, Korea, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy, UAE, Canada, Norway as well as top businessmen from other Indian states are scheduled to attend the plenary session,” Mr. Mitra said.
He elaborated that there will be parallel sectoral sessions on maritime, inland waterways, transport & civil aviation, auto & auto ancillary, manufacturing in defence , sports goods manufacturing & SME vendor development, mining, energy (renewables and CGD), manufacturing of energy equipment, chemicals and fertilisers, food processing, horticulture, fisheries, agriculture and allied industries, health, education, skill development, IT & ITeS, urban development and urban infrastructure, sports infrastructure, financial services and legal services, hospitality, tourism and entertainment.
The break away session on January 21 will also have the presence of 2500 delegates. “Start up business will be a major focus at this year’s summit and for the first time there will be students who have innovative ideas about starts up, attending the session. Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kolkata will act as a co ordinator in start up and representatives from Gurgaon that leads in start ups in the country will also be present,” the industry minister said.
The Bengal Global Business Summit is chief minister Ms Banerjee’s most cherished event during which she showcases the state as an attractive investment destination.
Heavyweight Union ministers like Arun Jaitley, Suresh Prabhu, Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal had attended the first two editions of the Bengal Business Summits in 2015 and 2016. Their presence and announcement of central projects had considerably contributed to the success of these summits. Following demonetisation, Ms Banerjee’s relations with the Modi government has deteriorated sharply.
