Govt looking at 3.7 % GDP hike by 2025: Amit Mitra
Kolkata: State Finance and Industry minister Amit Mitra said on Thursday that the focus of the state government is to have the GDP hike from 2 percent at present to 3.7 percent by 2025 through planned expenditure and this target has been presented to Niti Aayog recently.
"We have created Rs 3 lakh crore GDP only through planned and capital expenditure of the government, which is a record. The planned expenditure that was Rs 11,838 crore in 2010-11, has gone up to Rs 57,789 crore, while the capital expenditure has increased from Rs 2,025 crore to nearly Rs 20,000 crore," Mitra said in his inaugural address at the Conference on 'Growth Drivers of Infrastructural Development' Focus: Realty Sector, organised by CII.
According to Mitra, the state government has been continuously working towards infrastructure development of the state by judicial planning and focusing on capital expenditure.
"Infrastructure has moved beyond 'mere brick, mortar and cement', so I would urge the stakeholders present at the conference to see that every item of the infrastructure value chain be made in Bengal," Mitra maintained.
According to him, Bengal must aim to build a building materials park, where all materials and components pertaining to a building can be manufactured in the state. "With an attrition rate as low as 3%, Bengal can be a lucrative investment destination," he added.
He further said that sufficient industrial parks are available in the state and the government is ready to provide common facilitation centre, technological upgrades and market linkages.
The minister also pointed out that the state has spent Rs 18,361 crore under the Bangla Awas Yojana, for building houses for common people.
He reiterated that the state government has spent about Rs 6,456 crore only on building physical infrastructure. About 23,000 km of rural roads have been built by the present government and Rs 1,210 crore has been spent to strengthen 6 highways through the Highway Development Corporation.
Debashis Sen, Additional Chief Secretary of
the state Information Technology department who atten-
ded the valedictory session, emphasised on the gaps of pricing to make real estate future ready.
He also urged the realty stakeholders to come up with a futuristic commercial hub on a 5 acre prime space in the Silicon Valley hub in Rajarhat.
