West Bengal not a bad state on economic front: Mamata

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said West Bengal might well be politically unpeaceful, but it is not a "bad state" on the economic front.

Banerjee also said the state has changed "absolutely" in the past eight years since the Trinamool Congress came to power.

"Politically you can say that Bengal is not peaceful.... But on the economic front, it is not a bad state.

Some people are carrying out the propaganda that Bengal is a bad state and not peaceful," she said.

The chief minister was speaking at the launch of ITC's luxury hotel, 'Royal Bengal', here.

"You must give a good name to Bengal. How it is today and what it was 34 years ago?" the CM said at the event, hinting at the 34 years of Left Front rule in the state.

Banerjee said the state has been receiving investments, which promise substantial employment opportunities.

"The leather industry of Kanpur has come to the state with a promised employment of two lakh," she said.

The chief minister said 200 acres of land has been made available for the proposed silicon valley. "We have a world class convention centre at Rajarhat. Another one is coming up on the Digha sea side," she said.

On tourism growth, Banerjee said according to latest figures, there has been a 34 per cent rise in foreign tourists' visiting the state, and 228 per cent in terms of domestic tourists.