KOLKATA: After the much-discussed business trip to Singapore in August last year, the United Kingdom could well be the next destination for chief minister Mamata Banerjee to promote investment in Bengal.

UK India Business Council (UKIBC), the nodal body to promote bilateral trade and investment between India and the UK, has invited Mamata to hold a business road show. Patricia Hewitt, chairperson of UKIBC and former minister in Tony Blair government, confirmed the invite and said that British companies are keen to hear from the chief minister about the ground realities in Bengal. Hewitt is in the city to attend the Bengal Global Business Summit beginning Wednesday.

Hewitt met Mamata along with finance and industries minister Amit Mitra to learn the priorities of the government. "Our delegation is more on a fact-finding mission. We are very interested in bringing more British investment to Bengal but the major challenge for the state is that it is not so well known among UK companies. My meeting with the CM was really warm and I extended our invitation and hope for a positive response," she added.

The UKIBC chair has indicated that the history of the past few decades does not paint a very happy picture for the state. "Bengal for a long time was not very investment-friendly. The exit of Nano from Bengal aggravated that perception. Now, it has to first build an investment-friendly image," she added.

Hewitt made it clear that she would like to raise the land issue during her discussion with the CM as the UKIBC chair is "well aware of the differences between the Centre and the Bengal government on land acquisition". "I would definitely like to know about this (land) more," she added.

The former British minister said they are ready to organize the road show on behalf of the Bengal government if Mamata Banerjee agrees to visit the UK.

According to her, more than 700 British companies are operating in India and around 19 of them have a presence in Bengal. These are Standard Chartered, HSBC, BT, MaxBupa, Pavers, Bourneville College, Joy Mining, P+H Mining Hargreaves (mining), PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, Siemens Vai, OCS (facilities management employing 600 people) Unilever, Jones Lang Lascelle and CDE Ireland (a Northern Ireland-based firm). Pavers is a Yorkshire-based shoe company that was the first foreign firm to take advantage of 100% FDI in single brand retail. It has a shop at Kolkata airport.

Hewitt also indicated that UKIBC may open a centre in Kolkata — the fourth in India after Bangalore, Mumbai and Gurgaon. "Kolkata could be a good destination for mid-size British companies, considering the talent pool Bengal has and the relatively lower cost of living," she said.

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