The agricultural development coming through land reforms and rise in agricultural production in all other sectors have increased the financial endowment of the common rural people of the country and this has resulted in the positive effect of increase in demand for industrial commodities. National Sample Survey records show that the rural people in the country incur an annual expenditure of 11thousand crores of rupees on industrial commodities, and this demand is increasing at an annual rate of 10%. This means an emerging market for the industrial commodities within the country.

This creation of new demand, possession of skilled labour and entrepreneurs, improvement in power situation, positive political will of the government and socio-economic certainty within the state has created a congenial atmosphere for industrialisation within the state. One can specially mention the new possibilities that have been created in the fields of fruit and other agro- processing, supply of means of production in the agricultural sector, product diversification of the jute industry, leather goods, engineering, pharmaceuticals, tourism, software and infrastructure, chemicals and petrochemicals. Due to these reasons, a total of 1843 industrial units got clearance and a total investment of 48626 crores of rupees of investment were decided. Not only this, a sum of 7799crores of rupees has been already invested in 302 industrial projects. It is of great pleasure to announce that Haldia petrochemical project, which is the most significant one in Eastern India, will be starting production in the current year. The tremendous spate of industrial development is to be observed in Calcutta along with all the districts. In this all round district based industrial development, the small-scale industries will play a major role along with the large scale ones. The reason for adding weightage to the amall scale is the huge employment potential within it. The employment potentiality is becoming an important issue both in the urban and the rural areas. The multipronged development in both the town and the villages has lifted the face of the entire state.

But still we have miles to go. We are aware of our faults among the massive success. We are trying to get rid of them. This would mean greater dynamism in the activities of the state aperture by a development in the infrastructure sector, proper maintenance, and an emphasis on work culture so that the gains from development are available to all. This would mean an increasing awareness among the workers of the state.

Our demands to the Central Government are also important in this respect. The long -standing list of demands include among others: an increase of at least one-third of the divisible pool of taxes as share to the state governments, suitable central assistance in the large irrigation and flood-control projects of the state, remove the existing financial discrepancy with respect to the state, increase the debt-equity ratio of the banks in the state, increase in investment in all- India agricultural and industrial concerns of the state, take up proper planning mechanism in collaboration with the state governments regarding the issue of reduction of unemployment, increase in supply of foodgrains, sugar, kerosene etc. through the ration shops of the states, increase in central assistance in the sectors of rail and road transport, an overall change in the financial relationship between the centre and the states and wresting of greater economic powers with the state etc.

The current BJP government has posed a great threat towards unity, integrity and secularism of our country. Dangers are increasing day. We are protecting communal harmony above all other issues at any cost in our state. But Trinamul Congress in alliance with BJP is trying to give entry to communal BJP and our long drawn tradition of secularism in the state is under attack. This particular political party continuously propagates slander against the Left Front government and does not hesitate to utter lies publicly. They are creating law and order problems in the peaceful state and taking up brutal means. Even the Congress (I) had not taken up any programmes to confront the communal alliance between Trinamul Congress and BJP ideologically, and we do not expect any such programme from the Congress (I). In placing themselves against Trinamul Congress they are often engaged in law and order problems in the state. In this context it is only the Left who can take up the ideological struggle against the communal forces. Even in the national context, this job entirely wrests upon the shoulders of the Left. We need to struggle continuously and propagate and work among the people to make them aware against the evil.