Reliance Industries Limited will invest another Rs 20,000 crore in Bengal in the next three years, its chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said today.

He was addressing a gathering at the 7th edition of Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town this afternoon.

The group has already invested Rs 45,000 crore in the state. The Reliance Foundation will also renovate Kalighat temple.

“The temple is very close to the heart of Nita and myself and the restoration will be done keeping in mind its rich heritage,” Mr Ambani said.

The company proposes to set up 100 Compressed Bio-Gas plants in Bengal, while Reliance Retail proposes to expand its network in the state, from the nearly 1,000 outlets now to over 1,200.

Products of the Biswa Bangla Marketing Corporation will be sold through Reliance outlets across the country. A training institute will be set up under ‘Swadesh’ with the state government to provide training in Indian traditional art.

With Reliance Jio on track to complete its 5G rollout by end-December, the company is set to take the power of 5G to every nook and corner of West Bengal soon, Mr Ambani said.

The group has already partnered with Prabhuji, Mukhorochok and City Gold that are household names in Bengal.

“We have some of the finest workers in RIL who are Bengalis and the group will continue to give jobs to fine brains,” he said, adding “I tell all my friends to invest in Bengal as the state is coming up very fast. By 2030 India will be the third largest economy in the world and Bengal’s contribution in this journey will be remarkable.”

Dr Debi Shetty, the well-known cardiac surgeon, proposed to invest Rs 1,000 crore to set up a 1,000-bed super specialty hospital to treat patients suffering from heart diseases, and cancer. He also announced plans for conducting organ transplants using the most modern methods.

Dr Shetty recollected how the city made him, a junior surgeon then, a popular figure across the country 35 years ago.

Harsh Pati Singhania, vice chairman of JK Papers Limited, said the company which started its journey in Kolkata 140 years ago, proposes to come back to Bengal. He has proposed investment of Rs 1,000 crore to set up a dairy at Vidyasagar Industrial Park. The company also proposed to expand the JK Singhania School.

“I was born in this city and received my education here. The way Bengal’s resurgence has taken place in industry over the years under the able leadership of Didi is amazing. We have decided to come back to Bengal and take part in the development that is taking place in the state,” he said.

Rishat Premji, chairman, WIPRO said the company will spend Rs 200 crore to set up its second campus in New Town.

Harshvardhan Neotia said tourism is coming up in a very big way in Bengal. “Tourism will change the economy of Bengal,” he said.

Sanjeev Puri of ITC a company which has had its headquarters in Bengal for the past 110 years, said ITC will bring out a super app to help the farmers. It has under its banner five hospitality properties which will be increased to nine.

Sanjiv Goenka said: “Gone are those days when strikes were there in industry. The state is in the forward mode under the leadership of Didi. On a personal note, he said: “I was born in this city, received my education here, worked here and will die here.”