Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress has pledged to double West Bengal’s exports over the next five years through the implementation of the West Bengal Export Promotion Policy and the West Bengal Logistics Sector Development Policy, as outlined in its election manifesto released by party chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Friday.
“We will ensure that we effectively double the state’s share in India’s total annual exports by 2031. Merchandise exports will be scaled up to USD 17 billion (Rs 1,54,288 crore) by 2030-31, while IT, fintech, logistics and Global Capability Centres will drive the next phase of export growth,” the document states.
The party has also proposed positioning Bengal as India’s logistics hub, with at least five new multimodal logistics parks planned. The logistics sector is projected to grow into a $30 billion industry by 2031. The manifesto highlights the state’s strategic location as a gateway to the Northeast, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, along with its extensive road network, as key advantages for seamless freight movement and storage.
It further states that Bengal aims to emerge as India’s largest data centre hub, strengthening its role in the country’s digital infrastructure.
According to the manifesto, the number of registered companies will be scaled up to 3 lakh and factories to 11,000 units by 2030, generating significant employment and sustaining industrialisation.
A Special Purpose Vehicle, Banglar Shilpo Accelerator, will be set up to convert industrial MoUs into projects through faster approvals, district-level facilitation and coordinated monitoring.
The state’s six existing industrial and economic corridors — Raghunathpur-Tajpur, Dankuni-Kalyani, Dankuni-Jhargram, Dankuni-Cooch Behar, Kharagpur-Morgram, and Gurudi (Purulia) to Joka (Kolkata) — will be expanded.
The Jangal Sundari-Karimnagar project at Raghunathpur in Purulia will be fast-tracked as a greenfield industrial hub, expected to generate over 7 lakh jobs. The manifesto also promises two new gems and jewellery industrial parks in Howrah and Hooghly, aimed at benefiting 6.5 lakh artisans and linking them with global markets.