Kolkata is 'City of Hope' now: Mukesh Ambani
KOLKATA: Mukesh Ambani, managing director of Reliance India Group, started his speech on the dais of Bengal Global Business Summit 2019, saying that he was happy to be back in the City of Joy, which is also "the City of Hope now."
He went on to laud the remarkable transformation brought about in Bengal by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that both the state and Kolkata are reaching new heights of progress.
"I had mentioned in my speech at this summit last year that under your leadership, West Bengal is becoming Best Bengal. This is indeed coming true. My warmest congratulations to you and your leadership in taking Bengal to greater heights," Ambani said to the Chief Minister.
He mentioned that Bengal's GDP has crossed Rs 10 lakh crore, which was less than Rs 4 lakh crore when the Trinamool government came to power in the state. He added that the rate of growth of the state's GDP is 9.1%, which is higher than the national figure.
"Bengal has gained a foothold in the group of the fastest-growing states in India with an all-round turnaround under Didi's leadership. Agriculture is booming and income of farmers is rising. This state accounts for the highest rise in credit flow to the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector among all Indian states. Bengal's rise is leading to the rise of the whole of Eastern India. Bengal, along with the other eastern states, will contribute a quarter of India's GDP by 2035," said Ambani.
He said the transformation of Bengal reflects the growth of the entire country, which is all set to become the world's fifth largest economy in 2019, overtaking the United Kingdom. "We are ahead of all countries except the United States, China, Japan and Germany. In about a decade, India will become the third largest economy with a GDP of over USD 10 trillion – which is about four times the size of our economy today. In two decades, India will become the second largest economy in the world," he added.
He said by 2047, the year when India would celebrate 100 years of its independence, it will be capable of becoming the biggest economic power in the world.
"Reliance will be the most trusted partner in the fulfillment of the dreams of nearly ten crore people of Bengal," he said.
He urged the people of Bengal to embrace the revolution of digital technologies and said that it will be one of the biggest factors for both the state and the nation's growth in future.
Ambani concluded his speech saying that Reliance will always be beside the Chief Minister in her efforts to turn the state into "Shonar Bangla".
