Thaindian News

Kolkata, Feb 17 (IANS) The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has a responsibility to determine how it wants to attract business and then formulate policies and programmes to make the state an attractive investment destination, a US diplomat said Friday.

“States have a responsibility to determine what it is they want to attract as far as business is concerned and then they need to set up policies and opportunities and make it as easy as possible if they want to attract (investment),” US Consul General in Kolkata Dean R. Thompson said.

“What they need to be working at are what are the issues the companies are facing, what are the challenges companies have when they come in (to invest) and how they make it easy for companies,” Thompson told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar organised by Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry here.

He was responding to a question on what are the challenges the overseas companies, especially US companies, have been facing in investing in West Bengal.

Investors have expressed reservations about the Banerjee regime’s policy statement that it has no role to play in land acquisition for industrial projects and entrepreneurs need to buy it outright from land owners.

Stating the state has lot of business potential, Thompson said:”We think that companies should be looking in West Bengal and North-east India.”

Praising the state government, he said,”Bengal Leads initiative was an excellent starting point (to attract investment)- a great number of companies came in from across India.”

Bengal Leads was a business-cum-exhibition summit organised by the state government last December to woo investors.