Mr. Marc Knapper is a member of the Senior Foreign Service and is currently serving as the Director of the Department of State’s Office of India Affairs. Mr. Gaurav Bansal, Consul for Political & Economic Affairs accompanied Mr. Knapper from the US Consulate General. From the Bengal Chamber, President Dr. Alok Roy and Senior Vice President Mr. Sutanu Ghosh along with Mr. P Roy, Director General were present.
The focus of the discussions was the economic scenario in the Eastern Region and Bengal and our Chamber’s role. Mr. Knapper was extremely positive about the Chamber’s role in promoting Clean Technology development and spread and expressed interest in the U.S. Mission’s continuing partnership with the Chamber. He was upbeat about the potential for bilateral cooperation. Dr. Alok Roy, the President of The Bengal Chamber, urged Mr. Knapper to help fortify the ties with other regional Chambers from the neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar and others. Dr. Roy stressed that the Chamber acts as an interface for the industry and it is therefore important to develop a regional council. There were also discussions on GST and the economy of West Bengal. It was explained to Mr. Knapper that the Chief Minister is extremely buoyant and eager to make relevant changes in the system, and the Chamber is positive about industrial investment in the State.