Can West Bengal turn its much-discussed potential into sustained economic growth and rapid industrialisation? Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta has the formidable task of helping chart that course, and he will be the star attraction at the first edition of a Business Standard Roundtable in the state, Bengal Beckons, on Monday.
With the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state about to complete four months in office, expectations are running high among investors in and outside Bengal for an industrial revival. A glimpse of the road map will emerge when Dasgupta makes his inaugural speech and joins a fireside chat.
It will be followed by a panel discussion with two industrialists deeply rooted in Bengal: Umesh Chowdhary, vice chairman and managing director, Titagarh Rail Systems, who has achieved a rare feat of building a strong manufacturing base in the state; and Rudra Chatterjee, chairman of Obeetee, and managing director of Luxmi Group, who represents two global businesses in carpets and tea, headquartered in Kolkata.
They will be joined by Abhirup Sarkar, who has closely tracked the state’s economy, and chaired the Fourth and Fifth State Finance Commissions and the Sixth Pay Commission of West Bengal. R Natarajan, chief general manager of State Bank of India (SBI), Kolkata Circle, will also join the panel.
The event will wrap up with a fireside chat with Anjan Chatterjee, founder, chairman and managing director, Speciality Restaurants, who will bring to the table his experience of building a pan-India restaurant business from the ground up.