Assocham proposes 10-point growth strategy for West Bengal

KOLKATA: Apex industry body Assocham today proposed a ten-point growth strategy for West Bengal to attain rapid and sustainable growth and development in the eastern state.

"There is an enormous scope for growth and development in West Bengal and the state needs to address certain key challenges on economic, infrastructural and industrial fronts," according to an Assocham report.

The report "West Bengal: Unfolding Growth Strategy" was jointly released by state's commerce and industry secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, along with Assocham vice-president Sunil Kanoria and others.

On the economic front, there is an urgent need to address the debt scenario in the state to balance the ratio between debt and the gross state domestic product, thereby improving the overall fiscal condition of the state, according to the study jointly brought out by Assocham and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

The industry body has called for more emphasis on generating more revenue from tax and non-tax sources considering that improvement in the scenario of state finances plays a significant role in building up the brand of the state.

It said there is an immediate need to improve road infrastructure for better connectivity.

The state government must also develop infrastructure on the public-private partnership model to reduce transaction costs. The state must restrict itself to the role of regulator while private sector develops and manages industry and services sectors, it said.

Assocham has put stress on improving dissemination of public healthcare and educational services in rural and urban areas.

The chamber has reiterated its stand on engaging the private sector to reduce dependence on public healthcare systems.