At Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, the Confederation of West Bengal Trade Associations (CWBTA) and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) officially opened the Bengal Shopping Festival 2024, the state’s inaugural shopping festival.

The inauguration was graced by Dr. Amit Mitra, Principal Chief Advisor to the Hon’ble Chief Minister and Finance Department, Government of West Bengal (holding the rank of Cabinet Minister), Dr. Shashi Panja, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Industry, Commerce & Enterprises, Women & Child Development and Social Welfare, Government of West Bengal, Ms. Chandrima Bhattacharya, Hon’ble Minister of State, Departments of Finance (Independent Charge), Health & Family Welfare, Land & Land Reforms, Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation, Planning & Statistics, Programme Monitoring (Independent Charge), Environment (Independent Charge) Government of West Bengal, Mr Alapan Bandopadhyay, Chairman, West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. Government of West Bengal, Mr Rajesh Pandey, IAS, Principal Secretary, Dept. of MSME&T, Government of West Bengal, Dr. Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Secretary, Department of Transport, Government of West Bengal, Mr. Sushil Poddar, President, CWBTA, Ms. Vandana Yadav, MD, WBIDC, Mr Sanjay Budhia, MD, Patton Group, and Mr Rudra Chatterjee, Chairman & MD, Laxmi Tea and Chairman, FICCI.

Focused on turning Bengal into a global center for shopping, the Expo is anticipated to showcase new prospects in consumer goods, textiles, start-ups, and MSMEs. There will be more than 430 stalls at the Bengal Shopping Expo in 2024. The Expo will include a wide variety of products, including luxury apparel, technology, cars, and leather goods. Bengal’s rich culture will also be celebrated with textiles, jute products, and Geographically Indication (GI) items. The event showcases the artisanal traditions of the area, with a focus on Khadi and handloom.

The Expo is expected to boost regional economic activity, bring tourists, generate job opportunities, and draw local enterprises, government agencies, international brands, and start-ups. It will also serve as a lively prelude to the Durga Puja celebrations.

The five-day event, which runs until September 24, 2024, intends to highlight West Bengal’s thriving retail and commercial sectors to establish the region as a top global destination for shopping.

Priyanka Dutta