Newly inducted industries minister Tapas Roy on Wednesday signalled a renewed push by the Bengal government to revive investor confidence and attract large-scale industrial investments, placing the return of the Tata group high on the state’s agenda.
Taking charge of the industries department, Roy said the government would seek to project Bengal as an “industry-friendly” destination, focusing on improving business facilitation and generating employment opportunities for Bengal’s youth.
He also said the government would review the progress of investment commitments made during previous editions of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) while intensifying efforts to attract both domestic and overseas investors.
“Our priority is to channelise more industry to Bengal. Around 6,688 companies have left Bengal in the last 15 years due to various reasons,” Roy said.
The minister said the government would bring the Tata group back to the state, whose exit from Singur in 2008 remains one of the most defining episodes in the state’s industrial history.
“We will bring back the Tatas in a big way in the state. We want to send a strong message that Bengal is ready for industry once again,” Roy said.
Roy said the government would engage with industrialists and business leaders across India and abroad to showcase investment opportunities in the state. “We will hold talks with industrialists and business leaders across the country and abroad to attract investments. Bengal offers immense opportunities,” he said.
On whether the state would consider a more competitive incentive framework to attract investment, Roy indicated that all options remain open. “We shall leave no stones unturned,” he said.
Industry bodies have already urged the state government to introduce a broader package of tax incentives, land reforms and infrastructure upgrades to improve the investment climate, accelerate industrialisation and enhance ease of doing business.
A veteran politician, Roy began his political career in the Congress before joining the Trinamool Congress. Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he switched to the BJP and later won the Maniktala Assembly constituency, becoming one of the party’s prominent faces in Bengal politics.