Centre approves Mamata’s overseas tour next month to seek investments for Bengal

Kolkata: The Central government has approved the proposed overseas tour of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee next month to scout investments for the state, sources from the state government said.

The chief minister, who is currently in Mumbai to attend the two-day grand opposition INDIA meeting, is supposed to leave for Dubai on September 12. From Dubai, she is to go to the Spanish capital of Madrid.

The chief minister is supposed to come back to India on September 23 after completing her overseas tour. The main purpose of the tour is to scout for investment opportunities although the state government official or the chief minister’s cabinet colleagues are totally tight-lipped about the details of her overseas tour schedule.

State government sources said that as per protocol a communication was forwarded to the Centre from the state for the approval of the chief minister’s overseas tours, which has finally arrived.

It is learnt that the main aim of the chief minister’s overseas trip this time will be to interact with the non-resident Indian (NRI) businessmen settled there mainly in Dubai and Madrid.

“She is supposed to highlight the investment atmosphere and excellent infrastructure in the state conducive for investments here. The chief minister is also expected to highlight the nature of cooperation and assistance that the state government is willing to provide for the sake of fresh investments in the state. We expect this overseas trip of the chief minister to be extremely fruitful,” said a member of the state cabinet.

He also said that besides the NRI businessmen there, the chief minister is also expected to have interactions with the top chambers of commerce both in Dubai and Spain.