Gujarat will keep bringing investments to Bengal: Amit Shah
Times of India | 20 July 2026
Kolkata: Gujarat will keep bringing investments to Bengal, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Sunday while virtually laying the foundation stone for Amul’s Rs 700-crore integrated dairy complex. The plant, to come up at Sankrail Food Park in Howrah, is expected to create around 1,000 direct jobs.
Addressing the audience at New Town Convention Centre, Shah slammed the erstwhile Trinamool Congress govt for its “anti-Gujarat mindset”.
“They used to say Gujarat won’t be allowed to enter Bengal. Why? Now the people of Bengal, who have voted BJP to office, are seeing that Gujarat is bringing investments to the state. The upcoming (Amul) project in Howrah will be the world’s largest curd and cultured dairy plant. Mishti doi made in Bengal will be sent to consumers across the globe. Small milk producers of the state will reap benefits as Amul will buy their produce at good prices,” Shah said.
He also announced that Amul will be given another 30 acres to set up ice cream plants. CM Suvendu Adhikari, who attended the programme, said, “The land is ready. We propose to give Amul 15 acres in north Bengal and another 15 acres in south Bengal for ice cream manufacturing plants. He (Shah) had a word with me on the matter in his car while coming to the programme.”
The CM said, “Amul had sought land earlier, too. But the previous govt did not help them. They not only hindered Bengal’s industrial growth, but also announced that they would not allow Bengal to be turned into a Gujarat. Now people can see it is Gujarat that is investing in Bengal.”
Union home minister Amit Shah said 14 central schemes related to agriculture will be implemented in Bengal in the next six months. “A Research and Development Centre for treatment of animals will be established in Bengal. In the next 15 years, Amul will buy milk of two animal species from Bengal. The govt will explore fertile land for cultivation and animal husbandry here,” Shah said.
He unveiled an MoU signed by the state IT department and Bharat Taxi Cooperative to roll out a taxi-hailing app. “Those who are enlisted with the cooperative will be benefitted,” he said. Shah praised the CM for his “speed of work” and said all promises made by BJP will be fulfilled.
The WB eRCS portal – developed for registration of cooperatives – was unveiled at the event.
Adhikari said, “Amul’s new plant is in line with PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Prosperity through Cooperation. It also reinforces the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. It is under Modi’s guidance that two departments – cooperative and fisheries – have been carved out of agriculture department. We have laid the foundation stone of 14 warehouses in nine districts, with an investment of over Rs 5 crore. Besides, foundation stones have been laid for two modern warehouses, with 100 metric tonne capacity each, in Cooch Behar and South 24 Parganas. A white revolution will lead to a sweet revolution in our state.”
Jayen Mehta, managing director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which owns the brand ‘Amul’, said, “The new plant in Howrah is likely to be ready in two years. It will create direct job opportunities for around 1,000 people. We will also work on the ice cream project. We will procure milk from around 3,500 gram panchayats in Bengal.”