‘Mumbai entrepreneurs keen to invest in WB’

Encouraged by the response Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya received from leading Mumbai entrepreneurs, the West Bengal government is s...

Encouraged by the response Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya received from leading Mumbai entrepreneurs, the West Bengal government is set to follow it up with some action. As a first step, State Minister for Commerce and Industries Nirupam Sen is scheduled to leave for Mumbai soon.

‘‘We got a positive response from the industrialists in Mumbai and they seemed keen to make investments in the state,’’ Sen told reporters here today. ‘‘The areas we focussed on included food processing, IT, agro-based industries and the industrialists showed interest in these sectors,’’ he added.

The Chief Minister yesterday had one-to-one meetings with six top Mumbai-based industrialists, including Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra, Adi Godrej and Ajay Piramal. The meetings were followed by an interactive session with around 150 industrialists and entrepreneurs of Mumbai.

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At the session organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Bhattacharya said that the days of militant labour movement in the state were over. ‘‘Though we expect the workers to get their legitimate dues, we will not tolerate any militant labour movement,’’ the Chief Minister said at the meeting.

Meanwhile, the state government has decided to utilise the Rs 140 crore promised by the DFID in restructuring 16 state PSUs which are in the red, Sen informed today.

The DFID provides grants in various developmental projects in the state in areas like health, rural decentralisation, urban development etc. Last year, it gave Rs 70 crore to the state and has promised Rs 500 crore annually, provided it is satisfied with the way the money is utilised.

‘‘The money will be used in providing compensation package to workers who lose their jobs, reviving plants etc,’’ Sen said. He added that of the 16 PSUs, the state government has decided to close down two, go in for joint venture in 10 others and retain its control over the remaining four.