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Buddhadeb: the aim is quick industrialisation

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said on Monday, that the government was trying to industrialise as quickly as possible while trying to consolidate on agriculture.

Making his first appearance at a business meet here, since the panchayat elections, Mr. Bhattacharjee said : “We have an investment-friendly government… we want to industrialise.”

He was addressing a Bengal-Bavaria Business Summit where a cross-section of industry leaders and diplomats were present.

He said that West Bengal was trying to follow a balanced policy in order to improve the living standards of all sections, especially the poor. “Agriculture in the country is in bad shape. India’s overall growth rate is good but the benefit has to reach all.”

While pursuing a Look East Policy, the West could not be ignored either, he said. “We can’t ignore Europe or West,” he said adding that for attracting investments from Europe, the State government was trying to reach out to corporate houses through whom European companies could be brought to the State.

Industry Minister Nirupam Sen said that things were at an opportune moment. “If we cannot avail ourselves of this, the development of the State would be in jeopardy.”

He said the ‘Bengal Centre’ set up in Munich in April would identify opportunities for boosting business-relations between West Bengal and Bavaria.

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