Bengal to come up with semiconductor policy, plans to reveal it in BGBS
Kolkata: The Information Technology and Electronics (IT & E) department is coming up with policies on Semiconductor and Global Capability Centre (GCC) in the coming months which will position Bengal as the next IT destination in India.
“Bengal is aspiring to become the next IT hub in India in the coming years by facilitating the environment for the technological companies through various steps that includes 15 per cent floor area ratio allowed to IT and ITES companies, 100 per cent waiver on electric duty and also on stamp duty and registration cost. There will be an exemption of 50 per cent property tax. Places like Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Pune, to name a few have become supersaturated,” said Babul Supriyo, minister in-charge of IT & E department while addressing the 23rd edition of ICT East organised by CII Eastern Region in Kolkata.
Sources said the draft semiconductor policy is ready and the department is presently seeking suggestions from giants in this field so that it can be included in the final policy. Though the minister remained tight-lipped about the probable unveiling of the policy, sources in the IT department said that efforts are being made to finalise the same so that it can be officially announced during the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) in February 2025.
An interaction session with industry was organised on October 28 at Webel Bhavan in presence of the minister in-charge and Sanjay Das, additional secretary of the department with eminent dignitaries from Globalfoundries on the topic “Envisioning Opportunities with Semiconductor in West Bengal’. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already stated that her government has already identified land for the proposed semiconductor fabrication plant, the announcement regarding which was made recently following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in Wilmington.
Supriyo stated that the recent exemption of working hours from 8.5 to 9 hours for IT and ITES companies in the state, is helping the companies to increase their revenue in millions of rupees. Furthermore, he urged the industry captains to work in sync with the state government to build a new perception about IT in Bengal. Rajeev Kumar, additional chief secretary of state IT & E department emphasised that technology should be focused on solving problems and creating value for the citizens. ‘ICT East 2024’ aimed to foster collaboration between technology providers and users, helped organisations understand market trends, navigated regulatory changes and explored opportunities for growth.
