Industry, job generation expected to be focus areas in Trinamool Congress manifesto

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Attracting investments and generating employment for the youth are expected to the focal points of the Trinamool Congress manifesto for the impending assembly elections that party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to release on March 14.

The Chief Minister’s objective is to generate around 1.5 crore jobs in the next five years in all sectors of the economy in the state.

She presented this figure while placing the budget for the government in the first week of February.

Of the mega infrastructure projects that would find a mention is the proposed deep sea port for which the state government has invited “expression of interest” in December 2020 through the West Bengal Maritime Board.

West Bengal is the only state in the eastern coast that does not have a deep sea port. The port is expected to cost Rs 7,000 crore.

Another infrastructure project that Mamata Banerjee would bet big on is the industrial park that would be built on 2,483 acre in Raghunathpur of Purulia district.

The airport in Andal of West Burdwan district that is already functioning would be upgraded to international aviation standards.

Information technology-based industry would continue to receive the attention of Trinamool Congress. The focus is now turning to Rajarhat, the satellite township that is adjacent to the IT hub of Sector V in Salt Lake.

A project named Bengal Silicon valley is taking shape in this township and 100 acre land has been allotted to companies such as TCS, Airtel, First Source Solutions, Vikram Solar, Reliance Corporate IT Park.

The party expects Bengal Silicon Valley to attract investment of Rs 4,000 crore and create 50,000 jobs in IT/ITES in the nest five years.

The manifesto would also mention the mega coal block at Deucha Pachami in Birbhum district that is supposed to have a coal reserve of 2,102 million tonnes which is the second largest in the world.

She has also said that exploration work for extracting coal will begin on the land that is already with the government and would not uproot anyone living in the area.

One of the projects, small in size but big in symbolism, is an agro-industrial park in Singur that was the site of the Nano plant of Tata Motors, opposing which Mamata Banerjee got a new lease of life in 2006.

The government has also signed an agreement with UNESCO to set up a rural craft and cultural hub programme that would improve the livelihood of 50,000 artists apart from preserving the tradition and heritage of Bengal’s craft and culture.

Banerjee, who has built her party around the theme of Ma, Mati, Manus (Mother, Land, People), has always focused on village-level industry that has linkages with agriculture, horticulture, pisciculture and craftsmanship.

She is expected to continue her focus on these lines and extend an employment generation programme in the western districts such as West Midnapore, Jhargram, Bankura that are based on a range of activities like animal husbandry and agriculture that was launched last year on 13,000-acre distributed among 1,942 sites.

The manifesto is also expected to continue welfare schemes such as old age pension, Kanyashree, Rupasree (for the girl child), Swasthya Sathi (health insurance) and Krishakbandhu (income support scheme for farmers).

In the 146-page manifesto Trinamool Congress released before the last assembly elections in the state in 2016, eight pages were devoted to industry.

It mentioned Amrtisar-Kolkata industrial corridor. It also said that industrial parks at Panagarh, Goaltore, Vidyasagar and Haringhata would be improved, apart from saying that an industrial park would be developed in Raghunathpur.

The party also mentioned that two ports would be set up at Rasoolpur and Bhor and promised an industrial investment fund would be set up to “promote and regulate” industrialisation.

The 2016 manifesto said knowledge-based industries would be “considered”. It also said that “once we obtain a steady supply of natural gas, industries based on it can be initiated with urgency. Kolkata, suburban and adjoining areas will be provided with gas distribution and supply networks.”

BJP leaders have often criticised Bengal’s ruling party on the ground that it has failed to attract investments in the state and create job opportunities for the people.