Doing business in West Bengal: It is one of India’s densely populated states. It lies on the east of the country and is bordered by Sikkim, Assam, Bihar, Orissa Jharkhand, and the countries of Bhutan and Bangladesh. The language spoken here is Bengali, and the state has been under the rule of a communist government since 1978. This also makes it the longest running communist reign in a democracy.
A growing economy
Doing business in West Bengal: It is the 3rd largest state economy in India. A large part of this is due to the growth of the Information Technology (IT) sector in Kolkata. Other than the IT sector, West Bengal is largely an agricultural economy similar to many other states in India. Potatoes, sugarcane, wheat, oil seeds, pulses, and tobacco are some of the major crops grown here. In addition to this, there is also a large presence of manufacturing industries for engineering components, jewelry, leather, steel, textiles, wagons, and railway coaches.
Transportation
West Bengal has one international airport, the Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Airport in Dum Dum. There is a domestic airport located near Siliguri, at Bagdogra. It is currently under the process of being converted to an international airport. Kolkata has a major port; both the Haldia and the Kolkata docks are managed by the Kolkata Port Trust. Transportation in the southern part of the state is restricted to a ferry service. Kolkata is the only Indian city that uses trams for local transportation.
Demographics
Although many people who live in West Bengal are Bengalis, there are a lot of other communities present here. Among these are the Biharis, Tibetans, Sherpas, Adivasis, and the Gurkhas from Nepal. The state also has a large Muslim community which makes Urdu a widely spoken language.
Last updated: August 22nd, 2024
