The Minister for Finance, Commerce and Industries of the Indian state of West Bengal, Dr Amit Mitra, visited Spain at the end of October. During his stay in the country, the Spain India Council Foundation patrons had a chance to meet with him at an event organised by SICF with the support of CaixaBank.
The main aim of this breakfast meeting was to introduce West Bengal’s economic development plans, which are focused on improving the business environment. The Minister explained the factors that make his State attractive to foreign investors and added that these are not well known, despite the interest shown by Spanish companies in accessing the Indian market. He also highlighted the region’s GDP growth in 2014, which was above the Indian average, and mentioned infrastructure, water management and desalination, the environment and the food sector as the main investment opportunities.
During his meeting with SICF’s patrons, Amit Mitra encouraged the attendees to look in greater depth at the issues discussed over breakfast and consider the existing business opportunities. He also invited them to attend the Bengal Global Business Summit, to take place in 2016, sponsored by the Government of West Bengal.
Joan Rosás, Vice-Chairman of the Spain India Council Foundation and Head of International Financial Institutions at CaixaBank, told the Indian Minister about the SICF’s mission and purpose and some of the main activities it carries out. The Foundation has become a key platform for dialogue and bilateral relations between Spain and India. Rosás also said he was convinced that this meeting with West Bengal’s Minister would open up new paths for communication and new opportunities for the two countries.
The delegation of the Ministry of Finance, Commerce and Industries of the Indian state of West Bengal attended the breakfast meeting together with Sunil Kanoria, Vice-Chairman of Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited and a participant in the 1st Spain-India Forum, as well as representatives of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation. The Ambassador of India to Spain, Vikram Misri, once again showed his support for SICF’s work by attending.
The institutional representatives who attended the event were the Ambassador of Spain to India, Gustavo de Arístegui; María Aparici, Secretary General for Trade Policy with Europe and Asia-Pacific at the Secretary of State for Trade, and Josep María Bosch, from the Directorate General of International Economic Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
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