NEW DELHI: Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and MD of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), and India’s richest billionaire on Tuesday said his company is planning to invest Rs 20,000 crore in West Bengal in next three years.
“Reliance will leave no stone unturned to accelerate West Bengal’s growth. Reliance has invested close to Rs 45,000 crore in West Bengal.
We plan to invest an additional Rs 20,000 crore in the next 3 years in the state,” said Ambani at the 7th edition of Bengal Global Business Summit. The fresh investment by the telecom-to-oil conglomerate will be done in three areas -- digital life solutions, retail and bio-energy.
Besides Ambani, other prominent businessmen such as Rishad Premji of Wipro, Sanjiv Goenka of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, and Sanjiv Puri of ITC attended the Summit and proposed investment in the state.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a slew of new policies including plans to double the state’s exports, modernise its logistics and promote renewable energy manufacturing.
Banerjee also announced a policy to promote bio-fuels and a new sub-sea cable landing station at the sea resort of Digha to help improve internet connectivity in the eastern region. The chief minister also said the state’s economy was growing at 8.41% and its GDP would touch $212 billion this fiscal.
Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji said Bengal provides the right policy environment for the expansion of IT industries.
RP-SG’s Sanjiv Goenka said his firm has invested Rs 25,000 crore in the state over the last few years as “decision making has been quick and efficient” and that the era of “go-slows, strikes and unrest are of the past... the CM wants business”.
ITC Chairman and MD Sanjiv Puri said they will expand their hospitality assets in West Bengal to nine from the existing five hotels.