Kolkata, March 20 The Trinamool Congress on Friday promised to make West Bengal the gateway for trade in eastern India, while claiming that the state's GDP has grown sixfold during its 15-year rule.
Releasing the party's manifesto for the Assembly elections, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said the state will emerge as a ₹40 lakh crore economy in the next five years.
Aiming for a fourth consecutive term, the party said it would "make Bengal the gateway to trade for eastern India with world-class logistics, ports, trade infrastructure, and a state-of-the-art global trade center."
Claiming that the state's GDP has grown nearly six times in the past 15 years, the manifesto said it would "position Bengal as the third largest economy in the country in the next ten years."
In a foreword, Banerjee described West Bengal as one of the "foremost engines" of India's growth.
"We have risen to become the sixth largest economy in the country, recording double-digit growth," she said.
The chief minister further claimed that her government has reduced unemployment by 40 per cent and "created two crore new employment opportunities across the state."
In the industries sector, the TMC promised to develop Bengal as a $30 billion logistics hub by 2031 by establishing five new multimodal logistics parks and strengthening the state's strategic role as the gateway for freight movement.
It also set the goal of doubling Bengal's exports in the next five years, "scaling merchandise exports to $17 billion (₹1.54 lakh crore) by 2030-31 through the Export Promotion Policy and expansion of logistics and industrial ecosystems."
In a bid to attract the youth in the state, the TMC promised to generate 10 lakh new employment opportunities through major industrial and infrastructure initiatives across the state.
It said that a fourth consecutive TMC government will provide ₹1,500 per month financial assistance under the Banglar Yuva Sathi scheme to educated unemployed youth aged 21 to 40 years until they secure employment.
The TMC has faced criticism from the BJP and the CPI(M), which have accused the state government of failing to attract industries and create jobs.
Opposition parties have also alleged that many industries have left the state and that West Bengal has become a major source of migrant workers due to lack of employment opportunities.