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State Economy
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Paddy & Jute Sticks
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West Bengal, a state in eastern India , is highly dependent on agriculture. Agriculture
is the chief occupation of the people of the state. Majority of the state population
are cultivators and agricultural labours. Rice is considered to be the principal
food crop of West Bengal . Other major food crops include maize, pulses, oil seeds,
wheat, barley, potatoes and vegetables. The state supplies nearly 66% of the jute
requirements of India . Tea is another important cash crop. Darjeeling is famous
for tea plantation. Tobacco and sugarcane are also grown in the state.
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West Bengal is well known for its position among one of the leading industrialized
states of India . There are up to 10,000 registered factories in the state and the
West Bengal state government has opened Shilpabandhu, a single window agency in
order to provide investors with all kinds of assistance in establishing and running
industrial units. Calcutta is noted as one of the major centre for industries including
the jute industry. There are numerous steel plants in the state apart from the alloy
steel plant at Durgapur . The centre has established a number of industries in the
areas of tea, sugar, chemicals and fertilizers. Natural resources like tea and jute
in and nearby parts has made West Bengal a major centre for the jute and tea industries.
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Durgapur Steel plant
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Jute Mill
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A significant part of the state is economically backward, namely, large parts of
six northern districts of Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Malda, North Dinajpur
and South Dinajpur; three western districts of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum; and the
Sundarbans area. Years after independence, West Bengal was still dependent on the
central government for meeting its demands for food; food production remained stagnant
and the Green Revolution bypassed the state. However, there has been a significant
spurt in food production since the 1980s, and the state now has a surplus of grains.
However, the service sector has grown at a rate higher than the national rate.
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West Bengal has the third largest economy (2003–2004) in India, with a net state
domestic product of US$ 21.5 billion.During 2001–2002, the state's average SDP was
more than 7.8% — outperforming the National GDP Growth. The state has promoted foreign
direct investment, which has mostly come in the software and electronics fields;
Kolkata is becoming a major hub for the Information technology (IT) industry. Owing
to the boom in Kolkata's and the overall state's economy, West Bengal is now the
third fastest growing economy in the country.NASSCOM–Gartner ranks West Bengal power
infrastructure the best in the country.
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Tea Garden
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