Mamata announces advisory board to help revive Bengal’s economy

Published : Apr 06, 2020 20:51 IST

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that her government will be setting up a committee, Global Advisory Board for COVID Response Policy in West Bengal, comprising internationally acclaimed intellectuals such as Nobel laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee in order to help revive the economy and the society after the lockdown that was called to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Earlier there was notebandi (demonetisation) and now there is gharbandi (lockdown). Because of this lockdown there is no business, shops are not opening, no trade is taking place, and people are living under very difficult circumstances. In this scenario we are trying to find a path to revive the economy. We do not know how long we have to stay in this manner…. But in such times of epidemic, we have to make plans for the future,” said Mamata.

According to her, her government is the first in the country to have started such an initiative that would “show the path for future growth, economic development, betterment of society and help alleviate the sufferings of the poor”.

“I want to have in this committee internationally recognised people, who by the dint of their genius have made a name for themselves in the world…. We already have around five people in the Committee, and we will later look for more…. We will have Dr Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, and Dr Swarup Sarkar, who was the regional director of the World Health Organisation,” said Mamata. The committee will essentially be a policy-making body which will “help” the Chief Minister.

Earlier, Mamata had roped in Abhijit Banerjee and his wife, the Nobel laureate Esther Duflo, to help spread awareness about the coronavirus outbreak in the State.

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