Economy of West Bengal

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Economy of West Bengal
Skyline Kolkata City of Joy.png
Kolkata, the financial centre and commercial centre of West Bengal as well as Eastern India
Currency Indian Rupee (INR, ₹)
1 April – 31 March
Country group
Statistics
PopulationIncrease2.svg 91,347,736 (2011 census)
GDP Increase2.svg₹18.8 lakh crore (US$240 billion) (2024-25 est.) [3]
GDP rank 6th
GDP growth
10.49% (2024-2025) [4]
GDP per capita
Increase2.svg ₹ 141,373 (US$1,800) (2022-2023) [5]
GDP per capita rank
GDP by sector
Agriculture: 14.41%
Industry: 30.97%
Services: 54.62%
(2023–24) [6]
Population below poverty line
Decrease Positive.svg 8.60% 15th in poverty (2022-23) [7]
Increase2.svg 0.656 (2022)[ citation needed ]
Unemployment3.9% (2018-19) [8]
Main industries
Coal • steel • manufacturing • leather • IT • food processing • Textiles
External
Exports₹87,566 crore (US$11 billion) (2023-24) [9]
Export goods
IT • jute • tea • iron and steel • precious metals • marine products • rice • textile products • agricultural products • coal
Public finances
36.88% of GSDP (2024–25 est.) [6]
₹−68,250 crore (US$−8.5 billion) (3.6% of GSDP) (2024–25 est.) [6]
Revenues₹2.36 lakh crore (US$30 billion) (2024–25 est.) [6]
Expenses₹3.04 lakh crore (US$38 billion) (2024–25 est.) [6]

All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars.

The economy of West Bengal is a mixed middle-income developing social market economy and the largest Eastern Indian economy with a substantial public sector. It is the India's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP.

Contents

West Bengal is the primary business and financial hub of Eastern India. The state primarily dependent on agriculture and medium-sized industry. West Bengal have Jute industry, Tea industry. West Bengal is rich in minerals like coal.

Since the independence of India, The Green Revolution bypassed the state. However, there has been a significant spurt in food production since the 1980s. [10]

Agriculture and livestock

Freshly sown saplings of paddy; in the background are stacks of jute sticks PaddyandjuteBengal.JPG
Freshly sown saplings of paddy; in the background are stacks of jute sticks

Agriculture accounts for the largest share of the labour force. It contributed around 14.4% to the gross state domestic product (GSDP) in 2023-24. A plurality of the state's population are peasant farmers.

Major produce

Rice and potato are considered to be the principal food crops. The state is the largest source of the important food crop of rice, a staple diet across India, with an annual output of around 16.1 million tonnes in FY 2015–16, and the second-largest producer of potatoes in India with an average annual output of 11 million tonnes in FY 15. [11] : 14  West Bengal is also the second-largest fish producing state in India after Andhra Pradesh with an annual production of 20.45 lakh tonnes. [12] : 16 

Apart from these, jute, sugarcane and wheat are the top crops of the state. [11] : 14  Other major food crops include maize, pulses, oil seeds, wheat, barley, and vegetables. Tea is another important cash crop. Darjeeling is globally recognised for tea plantation of the acclaimed Darjeeling tea variety.

Below is a table of 2015 national output share of select agricultural crops and allied segments in West Bengal based on 2011 prices. [13]

SegmentNational share %
Jute82.5
Betel75.8
Cauliflower43.1
Sweet potato37.3
Brinjal34.2
Cabbage28.4
Inland fish28.2
Radish27.0
Jackfruit26.8
Tea25.6
Pineapple25.2
Okra24.8
Litchi24.2
Potato22.2
Grass pea21.0
Mesta20.4
Narcotics19.2
Sesamum19.2
Guava14.7
Paddy14.2
Papaya13.8
Fruit and vegetable13.0
Marine fish11.6
Water melon11.1
Bean10.9
Cashew nut9.9
Masoor9.7
Sericulture and apiculture9.7
Egg9.6
San hemp9.6
Tomato9.6
Sapota9.5
Meat9.2
Green pea8.4
Chilli8.3
Mango8.2
Ginger8.0
Cereal7.8
Banana7.0
Rapeseed and mustard6.4
Dung5.9
Garlic5.9
Kitchen garden5.4
Straw and stalk5.4
Moong5.2

It is also the second largest tea-producing state in India, producing 329.3 million kg of tea in 2014–15, accounting for 27.8 percent of the country's total tea production. In 2015–16, West Bengal produced approximately 2.38 mt of sugarcane and 3.1 mt of fruits. The state is the largest vegetables producing state in India with 25466.8 thousand MT of production in 2012–13.

West Bengal accounts for nearly 10% of the country's edible oil production. The state produced a total of 1.63 million tonnes of fish in 2015-16 compared to a production of 1.61 million tonnes during 2014–15, retaining second spot after Andhra Pradesh in fish production. West Bengal produced around 4961 thousand tonnes of milk in FY14-15.

The state is the third largest meat producing state in the country (including poultry) after Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, producing 0.648 million tonnes of meat in 2012-13 and it is the largest producer of goat meat.

Industry

Haldia Petrochemicals plant HaldiaPetro HaldiaPlant.jpg
Haldia Petrochemicals plant

State industries are mostly localised in the cities of Durgapur, Asansol, Howrah, Kharagpur and Haldia region. [14] There are up to 10,000 registered factories in the state and the West Bengal state government has opened Shilpa Sathi, a single window agency in order to provide investors with all kinds of assistance in establishing and running industrial units. [15] Kolkata is noted as one of the major centres for industries including the IT industry. There are numerous steel and other heavy engineering plants and production facilities in Durgapur. The centre has established a number of industries in the areas of tea, sugar, chemicals and fertilisers. Natural resources like tea and jute in and nearby parts have made West Bengal a major centre for the jute and tea industries. West Bengal is at the forefronts of leather processing and leather goods manufacturing and has around 666 units producing leather and leather related goods. Currently, 22-25 percent of India's tanning activity is undertaken in Kolkata and its suburbs. Kharagpur has also numerous industries of various types such as iron works, cement, chemicals, etc. The state's share of total industrial output in India was 9.8% in 1980–81, declining to 5% by 1997–98. However, the service sector has grown at a rate higher than the national rate. [10]

Infrastructure

Power and energy

As of end of May 2016, according to data released by Central Electricity Authority on its site cea.nic.in, the installed power capacity of the state is 9984.4  MW, compared to 303.083 GW of the country. Of the total installed power capacity, 8523.83 MW was contributed by thermal power, 1,328.3 MW was contributed by hydro power and renewable power together. [16] West Bengal government's ministry of power, in its report, enumerates individual power generating stations in West Bengal along with their respective locations and generating capacities while mentioning the total installed capacity as 16070 MW as of March 2015. [17] As of 2017, 100% of households were fully electrified. [18]

Communication and transportation

As of 2018, West Bengal has a total road length of 283,865 kilometres (176,386 mi), with a road density of 1.04 km per km2. Of this, national highways constitute 3,674 kilometres (2,283 mi) and state highways 3,612 kilometres (2,244 mi). [11] As of June 2015, the central government mulled augmenting the state's national highways' length by another couple of thousand kilometres in a bid to supplement to India's plan of seamless BBIN connectivity through Nepal, Bhutan, India, and Bangladesh, subject to availability of land, by investing in the tunes of US$4–5 billion. [19]

Kolkata Metro CRRC Dalian rake Kolkata Metro CRRC Dalian rake 5.jpg
Kolkata Metro CRRC Dalian rake

Railways

The Eastern Railway zone, South Eastern Railway zone and Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways run operations in West Bengal. At the end of 2023-24, the route length in West Bengal was 4,203 km of which around 4,016 km has been converted to broad gauge and around 3,906 km has been electrified, the running track length was 7,122 km and the total track length was 10,466 km, with the number of stations exceeding 800. [20] [21] Kolkata Metro railway is the newest zone of the IR with four operational lines of total length of about 60 km. As of 2024, various other metro links of approximately 74 km route length are underway in different phases of construction in Kolkata.

Ports

Kolkata is a major river-port in eastern India. The Kolkata Port Trust manages both the Kolkata docks and the Haldia docks. [22] There is passenger service to Port Blair on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and cargo ship service to ports in India and abroad, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India. Kolkata Port handled 65.660 million tonnes (mt) of traffic in 2022-23, around 12.86% higher vis-a-vis that handled during previous fiscal. Kolkata Dock System, the first major dock formally commissioned in 1870, handled cargo traffic of 17.052 mt in 2022-23, registering a significant growth of 11.46% over the previous year. Haldia Dock Complex, the 1st green port of the country in 2015, handled 48.608 mt in 2022-23, recording growth of 11.8% over the last year. During 2022-23, 6,75,904 Container TEUs were handled at the Port vis-à-vis 7,35,195 TEUs during 2021-22. Total containerised tonnage handled at SMP, Kolkata was 10.59 million tonnes in 2022-23 vis-à-vis 11.8 million tonnes in 2021-22. Kolkata Dock System handled 5,68,722 TEUs in 2022-23 compared to 5,69,783 TEUs in 2021-22, recording a marginal decline. In 2019-20 Kolkata Dock System achieved the highest ever container throughput of 6,75,439 TEUs. Haldia Dock Complex handled 1,07,182 TEUs in 2022-23 vis-a-vis 1,65,412 TEUs in 2021-22.

Kolkata ranked 1st in terms of coking coal & other coal handling amongst major ports of India.

Inland waterways

The 560 km long Haldia- Farakka stretch in West Bengal is part of the stretch of Ganges between Haldia and Prayagraj declared as the National Waterway (NW1). Also a 91 km long stretch of the NW5 is within West Bengal. West Bengal government has sought to build infrastructure to begin sustained fuel efficient cost efficient and eco-friendly shipping operations for cargo transportation and tourism, passenger traffic as well along 12 rivers in West Bengal which can reduce congestion on roads. These rivers that has been identified for national waterways services, are the Prayagraj-Haldia stretch of the Ganga Bhagirathi Hooghly river, Ajoy river (96 km), Bakreswar Mayurakshi river (110 km), Damodar river (135 km), DVC canal (130 km), Dwarekeswar river (113 km), Icchamoti river (634 km), Jalangi river (131 km), Rupnarayan river (72 km), Subarnarekha river (314 km) and Sunderban Waterways (201 km). [23] [24]

Telecommunications

As of end of March 2024, as per statistics published in press release of TRAI, there were 81.567 million wire-less (mobile phone) subscriptions (including 23.667 million with 89.65% VLR or active connections in Kolkata service area and 57.9 million with 94.63% VLR or active connections in rest of west Bengal service area) compared to over 1165.5 million wire-less connections in the whole country with VLR or active connections of 90.75% and 1.522 million wire-line subscriptions (including 1.01 million in Kolkata and 0.512 million in rest of West Bengal) in West Bengal (with a total state-level tele-density of 82.51% as of 31 March 2024) compared to over 25.036 million wire-line connections in the whole country (with nationwide total tele-density of 85.69%) while as of April 2016 the number of broadband subscriptions in the state were arbitrarily estimated to be around 11 million compared to that of whole of India with over 151.09 million broadband connections. [25] VSNL has its international gateway and earth station in Kolkata. International connectivity is provided through VSNL and five STPI (Software Technology Parks of India) earth stations in Kolkata, Durgapur, Kharagpur, Haldia and siliguri. Digha has been selected as the cable landing station for the submarine cable laying project connecting India and South East Asia. BSNL has an optical fiber network of 15000 km route in West Bengal. Reliance group's Jio Infocomm has laid 4500 km of optical fiber network in the state for its 4G network. [26] Under National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) mission, optical fibre cable will be laid in 341 blocks covering most of the gram panchayats in West Bengal. [27]

Inside Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport Inside Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (2).jpg
Inside Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport

Aviation

Spread over 2640 acres at Dum Dum in Kolkata, the largest in eastern India, the newly modernised Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is the sixth busiest international airport in India in respect of aircraft movement (after Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai). It has two asphalt runways, the primary one extended by 700 meters (3627 × 46m) and upgraded to CATIIIB, and the secondary one (3190 × 46m) upgraded to CATII ILS standards. Its terminal is a new and sprawling L-shaped six-level integrated terminal of over 2,510,000 sq ft inaugurated in 2013, able to handle 25 million passengers per annum. It includes check-in counters that use CUTE (Common User Terminal Equipment) technology, 78 immigration counters, 12 customs counters, passenger lounges provided by Air India and Jet Airways, 18 aerobridges, 57 remote parking bays, 2 underground two-leveled carparks and car parking facilities in landscaped area capable of handling 5000 cars. The airport has a Centre for Perishable Commodities (CPC), two luxury hotels and a shopping mall.

In the fiscal year April 2023 to March 2024, the airport handled 1,40,879 aircraft movements including 20,078 international aircraft movements, 19.784 million passengers (including 2.4 million international passengers and 17.31 million domestic passengers), 1,51,626 metric tonnes of freight. Between the 1940s and 1960s, major airlines such as Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Philippine Airlines, KLM, Pan Am, Lufthansa, Swissair and SAS operated from the airport.

Bagdogra Airport 013. BAGDOGRA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - ENTRANCE TO AIRPORT TERMINAL DEPARTURE WINGS.jpg
Bagdogra Airport

With the advent of longer haul aircraft and the socio-economio-political degeneration of the state during the 1960s, several airlines gradually discontinued operations there. The withdrawal of Lufthansa's service to Frankfurt in 2012 left Kolkata with no direct flights beyond Asia. Kolkata airport is to undergo the execution of Phase 2 of the expansion plan which primarily involves the construction of an 86-meter ATC Tower. Additionally, the current Kolkata Metro expansion plans include two new lines to the airport for better connectivity.

Bagdogra International Airport, Siliguri is another significant airport in the state. It serves as the gateway to North-east India and countries like Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. In the fiscal year April 2023 to March 2024, the airport handled 20,838 aircraft movements including 434 international aircraft movements, 3.12 million passengers (including 21,137 international passengers and 3.09 million domestic passengers), 8,445 metric tonnes of freight.

Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, Durgapur The front facade of Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, Andal, Durgapur.jpg
Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, Durgapur

Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, Durgapur country's first private greenfield aerotropolis project spread over 650 acres, under Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL) co-owned by Singapore-based Changi group, conceived in 2006–07 to be a domestic/international airport with handling capacity of 1 million per annum that can be expanded to 2.5 million per annum in future, officially commenced operations in 2015 at Andal, Durgapur 185 km away from the state capital Kolkata. [28] In the fiscal year April 2023 to March 2024, the airport handled 3,234 aircraft movements, 0.51 million passengers, 491 metric tonnes of freight.

Sector 5, Saltlake - the IT hub of Kolkata Saltlake Skyline.png
Sector 5, Saltlake - the IT hub of Kolkata
New Town Skyline New Town Skyline captured from Bengal Intelligent Park, Saltlake, Kolkata (2 of 2 photos).jpg
New Town Skyline

Industry

As of 2011, the state has 22 formally approved special economic zones (SEZ). [29] Of these, 17 are related to information technology (IT) or IT, enabled services (ITES). [11] : 28 

Economic indices

Economic production - beach net fishing at Digha Beach THE BEACH MIRRORS THE SKY.jpg
Economic production - beach net fishing at Digha Beach

As per the state budget presented in the state legislative assembly on 8 February 2024, West Bengal's nominal GSDP at current prices has risen to ₹18.8 lakh crore (US$240 billion) in the year 2024-25, the average INR to US$ exchange rate in that year being INR 78. West Bengal's per capita nominal GSDP at current prices for the economic year 2022-23 is ₹141,373 (US$1,800). [30] [31] In terms of nominal net state domestic product (NSDP) at factor cost at current prices (base year 2011-2012), West Bengal was the sixth largest economy in India, with an NSDP of ₹15.5 lakh crore (US$190 billion) in 2024-25 and in terms of nominal gross state domestic product (GSDP) at current prices, the state had GSDP of ₹13.97 lakh crore (US$170 billion) in the economic year 2022-23 as mentioned by Reserve Bank of India. In 2023-24, the tertiary sector of the economy (service industries) was the largest contributor to the gross domestic product of the state, contributing 54.62% of the state domestic product compared to 14.41% from primary sector (agriculture, forestry, mining) and 30.97% from secondary sector (industrial and manufacturing). [11] : 12  At a compound annual growth rate of 15.2%, the tertiary sector has been the fastest growing among the three sectors from 2004–05 to 2009–10. [11] : 12  The growth has been driven by trade, hotels, real estate, finance, insurance, transport, communications and other services. The state's total financial debt that stood at ₹1,918 billion (US$24 billion)as of 2011 swelled to ₹3,050 billion (US$38 billion) at the end of 2015-16 and is estimated to further grow to ₹6,932 billion (US$87 billion) at the end of 2024-25. [32] [33] [34]

GSDP growth from 1980-81 to 2024-25 [35]
YearGSDP (in current prices)Growth RateCAGR
1980-81₹10,345 crore (US$1.3 billion)14.06%

(Jyoti Basu)

1981-82₹11,575 crore (US$1.4 billion)11.89% Increase2.svg
1982-83₹13,049 crore (US$1.6 billion)12.73% Increase2.svg
1983-84₹15,302 crore (US$1.9 billion)17.27% Increase2.svg
1984-85₹17,676 crore (US$2.2 billion)15.51% Increase2.svg
1985-86₹19,032 crore (US$2.4 billion)7.67% Increase2.svg
1986-87₹20,803 crore (US$2.6 billion)9.31% Increase2.svg
1987-88₹25,077 crore (US$3.1 billion)20.55% Increase2.svg
1988-89₹27,106 crore (US$3.4 billion)8.09% Increase2.svg
1989-90₹30,623 crore (US$3.8 billion)12.97% Increase2.svg
1990-91₹34,797 crore (US$4.4 billion)13.63% Increase2.svg
1991-92₹40,380 crore (US$5.1 billion)16.04% Increase2.svg
1992-93₹43,290 crore (US$5.4 billion)7.21% Increase2.svg
1993-94₹53,424 crore (US$6.7 billion)23.41% Increase2.svg
1994-95₹62,031 crore (US$7.8 billion)16.11% Increase2.svg
1995-96₹73,864 crore (US$9.3 billion)19.08% Increase2.svg
1996-97₹82,075 crore (US$10 billion)11.12% Increase2.svg
1997-98₹97,966 crore (US$12 billion)19.36% Increase2.svg
1998-99₹115,516 crore (US$14 billion)17.91% Increase2.svg
1999-00₹135,376 crore (US$17 billion)17.19% Increase2.svg
2000-01₹143,724 crore (US$18 billion)6.17% Increase2.svg
2001-02₹157,144 crore (US$20 billion)9.34% Increase2.svg12.70%

(Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee)

2002-03₹168,000 crore (US$21 billion)6.91% Increase2.svg
2003-04₹189,258 crore (US$24 billion)12.65% Increase2.svg
2004-05₹208,656 crore (US$26 billion)10.25% Increase2.svg
2005-06₹230,254 crore (US$29 billion)10.35% Increase2.svg
2006-07₹261,681 crore (US$33 billion)13.65% Increase2.svg
2007-08₹299,482 crore (US$38 billion)14.45% Increase2.svg
2008-09₹341,942 crore (US$43 billion)14.18% Increase2.svg
2009-10₹398,880 crore (US$50 billion)16.65% Increase2.svg
2010-11₹460,959 crore (US$58 billion)15.56% Increase2.svg
2011-12₹520,485 crore (US$65 billion)11.43% Increase2.svg10.38%

(Mamata Banerjee)

2012-13₹591,464 crore (US$74 billion)13.63% Increase2.svg
2013-14₹676,848 crore (US$85 billion)14.43% Increase2.svg
2014-15₹718,081 crore (US$90 billion)6.09% Increase2.svg
2015-16₹797,299 crore (US$100 billion)11.03% Increase2.svg
2016-17₹872,527 crore (US$110 billion)9.43% Increase2.svg
2017-18₹974,700 crore (US$120 billion)11.71% Increase2.svg
2018-19₹1,102,053 crore (US$140 billion)13.06% Increase2.svg
2019-20₹1,179,097 crore (US$150 billion)6.99% Increase2.svg
2020-21₹1,155,820 crore (US$140 billion)-1.97% Decrease2.svg
2021-22₹1,363,925 crore (US$170 billion)18% Increase2.svg
2022-23₹1,554,992 crore (US$190 billion)14% Increase2.svg
2023-24 (RE)₹1,700,939 crore (US$210 billion)9.38% Increase2.svg
2024-25 (BE)₹1,879,453 crore (US$240 billion)10.49% Increase2.svg

Foreign direct investment

Under the overall guidance and policies of the government of India, the West Bengal government welcomes foreign technology and investments as may be appropriate for the needs of the state and is mutually advantageous. [36] Foreign direct investment has mostly come in the manufacturing and telecommunication sectors. [37] According to the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Government of India, the cumulative FDI inflow in Kolkata Reserve Bank region (comprising West Bengal, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands) from April 2000 to September 2016 amounted to US$ 3967 million. [38] Kolkata Reserve Bank region was seventh among the reserve bank regions of the country in terms of amount of cumulative FDI, behind Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Hyderabad regions. [38]

Exports

West Bengal is one of the country's leading exporters of finished leather goods. In 2009–10, the state accounted for around 13.5% of the country's exports of leather and leather products. [11] : 16  The state accounted for around 70% of India's dried flower exports in 2008–09. [11] : 16  The state is also a leading exporter of shrimps and tea.

However, the rapid industrialisation process has given rise to debate over land acquisition for industry in this agrarian state. [39] NASSCOM – Gartner ranks West Bengal power infrastructure the best in the country. [40]

Export Goods from West Bengal (2023-24) [41]
Commodity groupTotal Exports

Apr'23 - Mar'24 ($ million)

% share in India
Engineering Goods3,134.8126.83%
Gems and Jewellery1,485.2712.71%
Leather and Leather Manufactures696.335.96%
Organic and Inorganic Chemicals577.64.94%
Petroleum Products560.614.80%
Marine Products513.124.39%
Electronic Goods470.844.03%
Rice432.593.70%
Plastic and Linoleum357.053.06%
Ready-made garments of all textiles321.052.75%
Cereal preparations and miscellaneous processed items262.782.25%
Jute Mfg. Including Floor Covering229.451.96%
Tea198.991.70%
Cotton Yarn/Fabs./Madeups, Handloom Products Etc.174.021.49%
Iron Ore166.831.43%
Mica, coal and other ores, minerals including process154.561.32%
Man-Made yarn/fabs./madeups etc.121.691.04%

Further reading

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Haldia is an industrial port city in Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It has a major river port and industrial belt located approximately 124 km (77 mi) southwest of Kolkata near the mouth of the Hooghly River, one of the distributaries of the Ganges. The Haldia Township is bordered by the Haldi River, an offshoot of the Ganges River. Haldia is a centre for petrochemical businesses, and is a major trade port for Kolkata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chennai Port</span> Container port in India

Chennai Port, formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest container port of India, behind Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port also known as Nhava Sheva. The port is the largest one in the Bay of Bengal. It is the third-oldest port among the 13 major ports of India with official port operations beginning in 1881, although maritime trade started much earlier in 1639 on the undeveloped shore. It is an artificial and all-weather port with wet docks. Once a major travel port, it became a major container port in the post-Independence era. An established port of trade of British India since the 1600s, the port remains a primary reason for the economic growth of Tamil Nadu, especially for the manufacturing boom in South India, and has contributed greatly to the development of the city of Chennai. It is due to the existence of the port that the city of Chennai eventually became known as the Gateway of South India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradeep</span> City in Odisha, India

Paradeep, also spelled Paradip, is a major industrial seaport city and municipality, 53 km (33 mi) from Jagatsinghpur city, in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha, India. Paradeep was constituted as an NAC on 27 September 1979 and converted into a municipality on 12 December 2002. The nearest commercial airport is Biju Patnaik International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Kolkata</span> Port in India

Port of Kolkata or Kolkata Port, officially known as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, is the only riverine major port in India, in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, around 203 kilometres (126 mi) from the sea. It is the oldest operating port in India and was constructed by the British East India Company. Kolkata is a freshwater port with no variation in salinity. The port has two distinct dock systems – Kolkata Dock at Kolkata and a deep water dock at Haldia Dock Complex, Haldia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inland Waterways Authority of India</span> Indian government agency

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India. It was constituted under IWAI Act-1985 by the Parliament of India. Its headquarters is located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Odisha</span>

The economy of Odisha is one of the fastest growing economies in India. According to 2014-15 economic survey, Odisha's gross state domestic product (GSDP) was expected to grow at 8.78%. Odisha has an agriculture-based economy which is in transition towards an industry and service-based economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howrah–Kharagpur line</span> Railway Route in West Bengal, India

The Howrah–Kharagpur line is part of the Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line, Howrah–Chennai main line and Kolkata Suburban Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport</span> Domestic airport in Durgapur, West Bengal, India

Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport is a domestic airport mainly serving the city of Durgapur and also Asansol. It is located at Andal region of Durgapur in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is named after the renowned Bengali poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam. The airport is roughly 39 km (24 mi) from Asansol and 21 km from Raniganj.

Sagar Port is a proposed seaport in Sagar Island, West Bengal, India by the Government of India and Government of West Bengal. IIT Madras has been engaged to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the port, involving studies for shore-protection, land reclamation and physical modeling for use of dredge material. Cost of the port build up will be ₹30 billion. The port is scheduled to have an initial capacity to handle 60 million tonnes of bulk and containerised cargo. A rail cum road bridge over the Muriganga river is proposed to connect the Sagar Island to the mainland via Kakdwip. The length of rail-road bridge is 3.3 km.

Ports in West Bengal support international trade. Since ancient times, trade in West Bengal has been closely related to the river and seaports. The waterways have still not lost their importance. The primary port in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal is the Port of Calcutta. This Port is managed by the Calcutta Port Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haldia Port</span> Port in India

The Haldia Port, officially Haldia Dock Complex (HDC), is a port on the confluence of the Haldi River and the Hooghly River. The port is located at Haldia in West Bengal, about 130 kilometres (81 mi) from the sandheads–deep sea area of the Bay of Bengal, 45 kilometres (28 mi) upstream from Pilotage Station at Sagar and 104 km downstream of Kolkata. In 1968, an oil jetty was commissioned at Haldia, and officially in 1977 the port facility of Haldia started functioning as a subsidiary port of the Port of Kolkata under the name Haldia Dock Complex.

Tajpur Port is a proposed greenfield deep-sea port in Tajpur, East Midnapore district, West Bengal. The port will be built on the coast of Bay of Bengal near Tajpur. The construction of the port was awarded to the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited in September, 2022. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee handed over Letter of Intent (LoI) to build the port to Karan Adani, son of Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, at the "Bijaya Sammelani" organized on October 12, 2022 at Eco Park, New Town, Kolkata. After the construction of the port, it will be the first deep-sea port in West Bengal. It is estimated that the port will be constructed at a cost of ₹25,000 crores.

Water transport in India has played a significant role in the country's economy and is indispensable to foreign trade. India is endowed with an extensive network of waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks and a long coastline accessible through the seas and oceans. It has the largest carrying capacity of any form of transport and is most suitable for carrying bulky goods over long distances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in West Bengal</span>

Total length of road in West Bengal is 92,023 kilometers. Among these national highway are 2,377 kilometers, and state highway 2,393 kilometers. The road density of the state is 103.69 kilometers per 100 square kilometers ; the national density is 74.7 kilometers per 100 square kilometers. The average speed of the road in the state is between 40 and 50 kilometers/hour. The speed in the village and urban areas is between 20 and 25 kilometers/hour. This is the main reason the road is low and lack of maintenance. The total length of the railway line in the state is 3,825 kilometers. Indian Railways' Eastern Railway zone and South Eastern Railway zone Headquarter are located in Kolkata. The railways on the north side of the state Under the Northeast Frontier Railway. Kolkata Metro is India's first underground metro rail service. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, part of the Northeast Frontier Railway, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

References

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