Bengal is Developing Policies to Encourage Investment in Drones and Semicon

Nitin Konde, Varun Bhardwaj

Nov 20, 2024 — 2 min read

Bengal Develops Policies to Boost Drone and Semiconductor Investments

According to reports, the West Bengal government is planning to implement a number of policy frameworks in developing fields of information technology (IT) at a time when other governments are launching new projects and increasing funding to support entrepreneurs. A media outlet stated in its story that in order to draw in investment in semiconductors, drones, and the global capability centre (GCC), the Bengal government will implement new laws in these areas. To complete the GCC policies, the West Bengal government's ministries and agencies are collaborating, and the entire framework is at the very last stages.

The semiconductor policy is, too, at its final stage. West Bengal's IT and electronics minister, Babul Supriyo, was quoted in the newspaper as stating, "The government is making the necessary amendments to it, making it very up to date." While speaking at the 9th Assocham-organized Tech Meet, Supriyo made his remarks.

The Bengal Global Business Summit

According to the news report, Supriyo added that the GCC policy is probably going to be implemented prior to the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), which is set for February 5 and 6, 2025. The report went on to say that in order to draw in investment, the state administration will update its current drone policy while simultaneously looking to implement new initiatives. "I've met a number of young drone entrepreneurs and invited them to meet with the state administration to discuss their goals and any particular changes they would like to see. Additionally, a drone academy is being developed," Supriyo stated.

This growth coincides with a number of initiatives being introduced by the federal government and numerous state governments to support entrepreneurs. For example, as part of the state's endeavour to meet environmental targets, such as net-zero emissions, the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) invested INR 15 Cr ($150 Mn) in energy transition-oriented investor Transition VC one month ago.

Other States Attracting Foreign Investment in Tech Sector

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously met with US President Joe Biden in September to address a number of issues, including the establishment of a semiconductor fabrication plant in Kolkata and the MQ-9B Predator drone agreement. As of June, the Karnataka government was trying to get $6.2 billion in foreign investment in technology-related fields such biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, AVGC (animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics), and healthtech.

In the meantime, M.K. Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, visited the United States in September to meet with representatives of several multinational corporations, including Google, Apple, and Microsoft, and to shake hands with corporate executives regarding fresh investments and commercial expansion in the state.