Bengal emerged as 'powerhouse of growth, opportunity': Mamata after business summit

KOLKATA: A day after the eighth edition of her government's business summit concluded, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the state has emerged "as a powerhouse of growth and opportunity" as 1.72 crore people have been lifted out of poverty. The two-day Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) 2025 yielded 212 MoUs and Letters of Intent with investment proposals amounting to Rs 4,40,595 crore, she said.

In a post on X, Banerjee said, "Yesterday, as I stood at the Bengal Global Business Summit, surrounded by policymakers, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and global visionaries, I saw a dream unfolding before my eyes.

"1.72 crore people have been lifted out of poverty, and Bengal emerged as a powerhouse of growth and opportunity. I am proud to share that this year's BGBS has yielded 212 MoUs and Letters of Intent, with investment proposals totalling Rs 4,40,595 crore".

The chief minister said that after assuming office in 2011, she vowed to steer Bengal towards a future of prosperity.

Recalling the words of social reformer Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Banerjee said in the post: "My mission was clear: to build Bengal where every resident could proudly say, 'What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow'."

The coal extraction process began at Deocha Pachami in Birbhum, unlocking vast reserves that will fuel Bengal's industrial future, she said in the post.

"Additionally, oil exploration at Ashoknagar will place Bengal firmly on India's petroleum map. The dream of 'Biswa Bangla', a Bengal that leads by example, a Bengal that is future-ready, a Bengal that speaks to the world, is a reality, unfolding before our eyes.

"The vision I set in motion has borne fruit, and Bengal is on the map, as a leader, as an innovator, as a partner for the world," she added.

In total, over the last seven editions of the BGBS, investment proposals worth Rs 19 lakh crore have been received, with work already completed for Rs 13 lakh crore, the chief minister had said while addressing the concluding session of the business summit on Thursday.