Kolkata, Sept. 30 -- Investment talks gained momentum at Nabanna on Wednesday as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari met a Reliance Industries delegation, including CEOs of several group businesses, to discuss fresh investments, expansion of existing projects, industrial growth and employment generation in Bengal.
The discussions, reportedly, included potential investments in six areas - data centres and AI cloud services, an international cable landing station, coal gasification, a food park, road infrastructure and a multi-speciality hospital.
"Today, the Hon'ble Chief Minister of West Bengal Shri Suvendu Adhikari held a meeting with senior officials of Reliance Industries at Nabanna," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agrawal and several other senior officials were also present at the meeting held at the state secretariat, Nabanna.
"The meeting discussed various important matters concerning investment opportunities in West Bengal, industrial development and the creation of new employment opportunities," the CMO added.
The meeting also discussed Reliance Industries' possible involvement in an international cable landing station at Digha, a food park in north Bengal and the Deucha-Pachami coal project, an official reportedly told a news agency.
The Chief Minister also met industrialist Harshvardhan Neotia on Wednesday evening as they discussed investment opportunities in West Bengal. A week ago the Adani Group chief, Gautam Adani, had also held a meeting with Adhikari in Kolkata.
The meeting on Wednesday assumes significance as Adhikari met Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and director Anant Ambani in Mumbai last week to pitch Bengal as an investment destination.
The discussions in Mumbai had covered expansion of Reliance's existing operations and potential investments in sectors including IT, semiconductors and biogas.
The latest Nabanna meeting is being viewed as part of the government's effort to translate the high-level discussions into specific projects and timelines.
Reliance has already been allotted land at the Bengal Silicon Valley Hub in New Town for a data centre, while the state has indicated that the group is exploring multiple projects.
Sources had earlier indicated that Reliance could examine projects ranging from a proposed international cable landing station at Digha and a data centre in Rajarhat to a food park in north Bengal.
The government is simultaneously pushing a new industrial policy, with employment-linked incentives and streamlined approvals, as it seeks to attract large investments and generate jobs. The state recently cleared land for 33 projects representing over Rs 60,000 crore of proposed investment.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.