Infosys to invest in Bengal without SEZ status: Mamata

Kolkata: Infosys has announced an initial investment of Rs 100 crore in Bengal with no Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for the IT giant.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said at Nabanna that Infosys has decided to invest Rs 100 crore in the first phase and will be setting up units on a plot of 50 acre in Action Area III of New Town near Arts Acre.

The IT giant has written a letter to the Principal Secretary of the state Information Technology (IT) department stating their decision to start investing in Bengal that will begin with an initial investment of Rs 100 crore.

They will be setting up the unit in New Town and SEZ will not be given to them, she said. "The investment will lead to around 1,000 jobs," she said.

Infosys has already paid the remaining amount of money for the land in December.

It may be mentioned that after coming to power for the second term, Banerjee had said it will be the priority of the state government to ensure more investment in Bengal. The Bengal Global Business Summit in January had also turned to be fruitful in this regard.

Soon after coming to power, the Chief Minister had made it clear that her government will not give recommendations to the Centre to set up SEZ for IT in Bengal which was there in the election manifesto of the Trinamool Congress.

It may be recalled that the IT major had also approached the Centre to set up IT SEZ in Bengal. But the proposal was rejected. Finally, the Chief Minister on Tuesday announced that the IT giant has decided to set up its unit in the state despite not being given SEZ status.