West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday informed that Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay could visit Kolkata to attend the eighth edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), set to take place on Wednesday and Thursday at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre.
“The Prime Minister of Bhutan had confirmed to me in October last year [that he would be coming],” the chief minister said during a press interaction. “Till now I have the information that he would be coming tomorrow morning. But I am getting some information that something might be happening with Delhi. I don’t know.”
On being asked if she was suggesting that the central government was trying to stop the Bhutan PM from coming to Kolkata, CM Banerjee said. “I cannot say anything now because I don’t know. Unless we get the rejection, we cannot say anything.”
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren is also likely to visit the event, which is organised by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation, as the chief guest.
The flagship business summit of the West Bengal government is expected to host industry leaders such as Mukesh Ambani, Sajjan Jindal, along with representatives from 40 countries. The chief minister announced that around 200 foreign delegates, including representatives from 20 partner nations, will participate in the two-day event.
In its eighth edition, the BGBS 2025 will feature plenary sessions, sector-specific discussions, country sessions with partner nations, and B2B and B2G meetings to foster networking and collaboration, as per the official website of the summit.
The focus sectors for this year’s BGBS include manufacturing, international trade and logistics, agri and allied, knowledge economy including IT and ITes, health, etc.
Aiming to showcase West Bengal as a business-friendly state with immense employment potential under the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, the summit will unite corporate leaders, business delegations, entrepreneurs, academics, and think tanks from across the globe.