New Delhi May 8 (IANS) The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Friday said West Bengal can once again emerge as a major hub of trade, industry and employment if the state gets a transparent and investor-friendly government aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic vision.

CAIT Secretary and BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said the trade and industrial community in West Bengal is now witnessing renewed hope and confidence over the possibility of a BJP-led government in the state.

According to him, industry, trade, MSMEs, traditional businesses and entrepreneurship in West Bengal have faced significant challenges over the past 15 years due to policy instability, declining investor confidence, migration of industries, syndicate culture and administrative pressure.

“West Bengal, once counted among the country’s leading industrial states, has today fallen behind in the race for investment, employment and industrial development,” Khandelwal said.

He claimed that thousands of MSME units either shut down or shifted operations to other states, while traders, artisans, small industries and traditional businesses did not receive adequate policy support over the past decade.

Khandelwal further said sectors such as tea, jute, handloom, leather, sweets and other small businesses employing lakhs of people suffered due to rising costs, regulatory complexities and inadequate infrastructure support.

He also alleged that GST imposed on chhena-based sweets added further pressure on Bengal’s traditional sweet industry.

Meanwhile, Subhash Agrawala, Executive Chairman of CAIT and an industrialist from West Bengal, said the business community believes the state can regain its industrial prominence if it adopts policies aligned with initiatives such as ‘Vocal for Local’, ‘Make in India’, ‘Startup India’ and ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

He said traders and industrialists in the state are expecting investor-friendly industrial policies, relief in electricity duty and power tariffs, simplified regulations, a single-window clearance mechanism and stronger support for MSMEs and startups.

Agrawala also emphasised the need for better logistics infrastructure, industrial corridors and policy protection for traditional industries and artisans.

Moreover, CAIT National President B.C. Bhartia said traders in West Bengal are confident that strong leadership and development-oriented governance can help the state reclaim its position as a leading centre for trade, exports, manufacturing and employment generation.

“Now is the time to restore confidence in Bengal, give fresh momentum to industries and take the state once again to new heights of growth and prosperity,” Khandelwal said.

–IANS

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