KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that her government is trying to frame a policy for free-hold rights for industrial land deviating from its current policy when land is offered on a lease basis.
She also urged filmmaker Goutam Ghose to make a film regarding the development of Bengal, particularly in the social and industry sector during her government's tenure for creating the right perception of the state among the common people at the meeting of the West Bengal Industrial Promotion Board on Thursday.
Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi informed the industry people present at the meeting that Bengal has surpassed Maharashtra to become the first in the promotion of homestay tourism.
"The advertising agency's performance is very poor when it comes to showcasing Bengal. We have as many as 64 social security schemes. So many industries are coming up. I will urge you to make a film in languages like Bengali, English, Hindi and Urdu showcasing the progress of Bengal so that the common people can see it. There have been attempts to create a bad perception of Bengal, so the film should focus on knowing Bengal properly," Banerjee said.
She requested director Raj Chakraborty, Actor Prasenjit Chatterjee and others present in the meeting to join their hands in the endeavour.
"Telangana is running an advertisement campaign but I tell you that the person featured in the advertisement desires to be the Prime Minister. We cannot spend so much like Telangana but the industry houses can lend support through CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and the state government may also contribute and together we can bear the cost of making the film,"Banerjee said.
She suggested booking slots in popular Bengali entertainment television channels for a certain period and doing some shows on creating the right perception about the state.
Bengal has recently formed a new sectoral committee which has started work in the area of pitching for investment in the creative industry and film.
"Bengal is a unique destination where the beauty of the forest, sea as well as the Hills can be enjoyed. You can invite people from outside to come and do more film shootings here," Banerjee said.
Ghosh welcomed the proposal and assured Banerjee of coming up with a film showcasing the development of the state. "We have a producers' meeting scheduled tomorrow (Friday). We will discuss the matter at length and will get back to you,"Ghosh said.
Banerjee also directed the state Information and Cultural Affairs department in making arrangements for showing Bengali cinemas in at least one auditorium in each district.
Talking about the progress in homestay tourism, Dwivedi said that Bengal presently has 1704 homestays since the introduction of the policy in 2017. The Tourism department from time to time has offered incentives for boosting homestays which contributed to the generation of a lot of employment.
After the meet, Sushil Mohta, Chairman, Merlin and President, Credai West Bengal said: "I attended the meeting of West Bengal Industrial Promotion Board today organised by WBIDC. The Hon'ble
Chief Minister informed the various recent initiatives for growth of industry, in Bengal, CM also asked suggestions from industry and not only heard patiently but also advised the officers presence to take notes of all suggestions for actions. The kind of close coordination between the Govt and industry is an example in the country."