Delhi had been host to Intechmart for three years from 1994. In 1997, it was shifted to Karnataka and Khajuraho. Last year, Ahmedabad played host and 80 projects were finalised in Gujarat as the upshot.

The CII, according to Chatterjee, had played a major role in bringing the conference to Calcutta for the first time. A total of 127 applications from various corporates had been received which had been vetted by the Price Waterhouse Coopers consultants and sent to UNIDO. The UN body had shortlisted 105 of them on the basis of potential and the global scenario. These projects had been sent out worldwide and representatives of the West Bengal government, the Centre and the CII had toured Great Britain, Australia, Japan, Israel and China scouting for partners and to take the initiative forward.

The main focus of the conference will be direct talks between the corporates in India and those abroad. Confirmations had been received from the US, Japan, South Korea and the Asian Development bank whose representatives will come for the conference.

There are 46 fully new projects in the shortlist. There will be wide-ranging talks on foreign help in the areas of technology and modernisation. Obviously, according to Chatterjee, the conference will also open the floodgates for the creation of new jobs in the state.

Another happy news for industry has been the switching on of the second 250-MW power station at Budge Budge near Calcutta. With this, the total output of the Budge Budge station is now a staggering 500 MW. The second unit will be fully operational by July this year, setting at rest all speculation about the viability of the project, which had been criticised as a white elephant of the Bengal government.

COMMENTS AGAINST COMMUNALISM:

`Only mantras will not help'

With the chief minister of Bengal, Jyoti Basu, kicking off the renewed movement against communalism in Calcutta on Saturday, celebrities from all walks of life in Calcutta have also joined in. Noted author and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Sunil Ganguly said, "Our country started off with the secular mantra on its lips. There is an immense sense of pride in this philosophy. However, unfortunately, the common man has not been tutored accordingly. They have failed to grasp the essentials of our secularism. It is this that the fundamentalists are exploiting. The net result is that instead of being proud, we now have to hang our head in shame in front of the world. Right-thinking men must come forward now to emphasize the message of peace and say once and for all that India does not have a state religion.''

Asian Games double gold medallist Jyotirmoyee Sikdar: "The one thought in Bangkok which permeated my entire consciousness was that I had to do the nation proud. I represented the country, not any province of India. That is an idea not many people; that in the world durbar, we should behave as Indians and not as members of any particular religion or state. This is true in every sphere of life and not restricted only to sports. Success cannot be achieved if we fight each other. Our country is secular and communal harmony is our touchstone. Any force against this ideal would be in opposition to the very concept of this country. We have to remain united at any cost.''

Cricketer Sourav Ganguly: "We talk of team spirit in cricket. The team is a symbol of the entire country. Our team comprises players from various states and religions. But we play as one. We should serve as an example to the common Man. must forget our differences and come together to push the country forward to greater glory.''

Physician Debi Shetty: "There is no question of even taking cognizance or supporting the communal virus. My only belief lies in humanism. I treat and accept any man as a human being. There is no religion, which calls for harming the interests of those practising other religions. Those who are saying so are working against basic human nature of tolerance.''

Economist Amiya Bagchi: "There is none to parallel Rabindranath Tagore when it come to the philosophy of progress. He had always talked of communal harmony. It is this harmony that I identify with when I talk of myself as an Indian. Those who think otherwise are enemies of India. If we do not wake up to these dangers, then India could suffer the fate of countries like Bosnia in the future.''