Presence of PM Modi at Bengal business summit uncertain

Kolkata, April 17

The presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration on April 20 of the two-day Bengal Global Business (BGBS) 2022, meant to showcase West Bengal as an ideal investment destination, has become uncertain.

A state government official told IANS that nothing final has been confirmed by the Prime Minister's Office to the state secretariat on this count as on date. As per Press Information Bureau (PIB)'s official tour information of the Prime Minister, he is slated to be in his home state Gujarat from April 18 to April 20.

"However, we are still hoping that the Prime Minister might attend the meeting on April 20 morning coming from Gujarat," the official, who did not wish to be named, said.

In November last year, when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went New Delhi and met the Prime Minister, she invited him to attend the inaugural session of the event. After the meeting, she even told the media persons that the Prime Minister has even accepted her invitation and assured his presence at the inaugural session of the summit.

State government sources said that top top-notch industrialists from the country like Reliance Group's Mukesh Ambani and Adani Group's Gautam Adani are slated to be a part of the inaugural session of BGBS-2022.

Agri-business, mining, IT-ITES, and Tourism are among the focus sectors of the summit this year. The summit this year, as per state government sources, is expected to witness business delegations from a number of countries, including the UK.

Banerjee herself had said earlier this week that businessmen and industrialists from 14 nations will attend the summit this time. She also claimed that her government is the first state government which has shown the guts to organize a business summit of such stature in the post-pandemic situation.

The Bengal Global Business Summit became an annual event of the state government since 2017. However, it could not happen in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns.