West Bengal
With the Himalayas to the north, and the Bay of Bengal to the south, West Bengal is the largest and most economically important state in eastern India. Although it was once one of the richest and most industrialized states in India, decades of left-wing government largely succeeded in driving out international investors. Under the stable government of Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal is seeking to attract investment once again while hanging on to its leftist bona fides.
State Policies
Solar Policy: Policy on Co-Generation and Generation of Electricity from Renewable Sources of Energy
Electric Mobility Policy: Electric Vehicle Policy (2021)
Industry Policy: Investment and Industrial Policy (2013)
State Summary
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Size
34,267 sq. miles -
Population
91.3 million -
State GDP
$109.21 billion (USD) -
Legislative Assembly Seats
294
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Rajya Sabha Seats
16 -
Lok Sabha Seats
42 -
Party Affiliation
All India Trinamool Congress (Trinamool)
Left: The Howrah Bridge straddles West Bengal's Hooghly River in Kolkata. (Christopher J. Fynn, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Howrah Bridge straddles West Bengal's Hooghly River in Kolkata. (Christopher J. Fynn, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)
Right: A rice mill worker checks the final production quality from a specimen kept beside of rice filled sacks at a mill in Midnapore. (DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY/AFP/Getty Images)