All set for BGBS on April 20-21,

Kolkata, April 19 : The West Bengal Government is organizing the sixth edition of Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) on April 20-21, where representatives of 14 countries will be present at the conference. The conference dinner will be held on Tuesday night at the premises of Bishwa Bangla Mela. The conference will be inaugurated on April 20 at the Bishwa Bangla Convention Center. Chief Secretary Harikrishna Dwivedi held a preparatory meeting on Saturday. Top officials of the administration including the Chief Secretary also toured the preparations of the conference center. According to administrative sources, representatives of 14 countries will be present at the conference. However, the state does not want to reveal who among the notable industrialists will attend the conference. Administrative sources claimed that it is not yet clear whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the conference. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already made it clear that industrialization and employment are the priorities of the Third Trinamool Congress. Accordingly, preparations for the conference are underway inside the administration. According to official sources, the presence of Adani group in the conference is practically certain. This is because Gautam Adani, the leader of the Adani group, had spoken about it in a meeting with the Chief Minister in State Secretariat Nabanna after the state’s industrial meeting in Mumbai. Their interest in the seaport at Tajpur is not new. Many observers have suggested that the Adani group’s presence at the conference could add fuel to the fire. Sources claimed that Mukesh Ambani’s presence at the conference is also practically certain. They have significant network-data investment in the state. In addition, other industrialists, entrepreneurs, ambassadors and consul generals of different countries are also expected to attend the conference. Before the Bhabanipur by-election, the Chief Minister called on the Prime Minister and invited him to BGBS. However, according to administrative sources, there is still no clear message from Nabanna about the arrival of the Prime Minister. The security meeting that took place on that day did not discuss this issue separately. According to many officials, the state police had a coordination with the SPG a few days before the event when the VVIP, like the Prime Minister, came to provide security.. The number of seats in the convention center is about 3200. The way the conference is being prepared, the idea of the administration is that it will be grand. Sources claimed that a tunnel is being constructed from the main gate of the center to the conference room. The guests will get out of the car and reach the conference room through the air-conditioned tunnel. There will also be various ‘displays’ in the tunnel. The two-day Summit will have plenary sessions, sectoral sessions, B2G and B2B interactions apart from providing digital space for exhibitions and business networking. The focus sector for this summit includes Infrastructure, Agri & Allied activities, Industries including MSME, Services including Health and Education, Tourism, International trade, IT& ITeS and Mining. The sixth edition of BGBS has FICCI and CII as its Business Partners and KPMG, EY, PWC and CRISIL as its Knowledge Partners. WBIDC and its partners will provide all assistance and handholding support to business intending to establish their footprint in the state. The upcoming edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) is set to receive the biggest ever UK delegation to the event, with a 49-strong delegation of senior figures from a wide range of businesses, institutions and versities representing the European nation, the British Deputy High Commission here said on Sunday. The UK, in collaboration with the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will facilitate B2B (Business-to-Business) meetings during the April 20-21 summit. The discussions will enable participants to identify opport ties for future collaboration, research and innovation, and facilitate the expansion of trade and investment. Nick Low, British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata said, “I’m delighted to bring such a large delegation to BGBS. The 2030 Roadmap agreed by our Prime Ministers in May last year promised to transform trade and investment between the UK and India. That’s what we’re here to do.” Low said he wanted to increase the UK’s portfolio of investments and partnerships in West Bengal, which already provides around thirty thousand jobs in Kolkata alone. “There is strong interest from UK companies looking to expanding existing investments here and from others who are new to India,” he was quoted as saying in the release. Education, arts and culture, and creative economy are other vital aspects of the UK spectrum for BGBS. There will be a major thrust on education, research, the creative economy and sustainable tourism during the two-day engagements, the release said. BGBS 2019 had attracted participation of over 4000 delegates including 450 international delegates from 14 Countries. The business proposed in the earlier five editions of BGBS amounts to INR 12,35,578 crore. BM KK

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