Kolkata, 14th July, 2025: The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) organised ICC VisionTech – LEAD 2025 today, bringing together government leaders, industry visionaries, and technology experts under one roof. The summit, themed “Empowering India’s Digital Future,” focused on accelerating technology adoption, fostering innovation, and building agile, adaptive, and authentic organizations in preparation for the quantum era.
The event was graced by Chief Guest Mr. Babul Supriyo, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge of the Department of Information Technology & Electronics, Public Enterprises, and Industrial Reconstruction, Government of West Bengal. Other key speakers included Mr. Arvind Kumar, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Government of India; Mr. Debashis Sen, Founder Director & CEO, Bengal Consulting Pvt. Ltd; Mr. Raj Jain, Chairman & Managing Director of RS Software & ICC National Committee on Technology and Innovation; Mr. Anuj Vaid, Vice President, Kyndryl India; Mr. Amitabh Ray, Chairman, ICC National Expert Committee on Technology & Innovation; and Dr. Rajeev Singh, Director General, ICC.
Speaking during the occasion, Mr. Babul Supriyo highlighted the state’s impressive progress where West Bengal’s Information Technology sector is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by strategic investments, robust infrastructure, and policy support for digital growth. West Bengal’s IT sector has witnessed a remarkable transformation, with exports rising from ₹4,500 crores in 2011 to nearly ₹35,000 crores today—demonstrating the state government’s consistent efforts and strategic intent. The 250-acre Bengal Silicon Valley project stands as a flagship initiative, with all land parcels allotted—42 companies onboard, 19 having begun work, and 3 fully operational. Land was offered at ₹5 crores per acre against a market value of ₹25 crores, now appreciated to ₹40 crores per acre, underlining our serious commitment to IT infrastructure.
“We are also seeing strong traction across 22 IT parks across the state in locations such as Siliguri, Durgapur, Kalyani, Krishnanagar, and Asansol. Notably, all 10 Webel-owned properties in Sector V and the three in Siliguri have reached 100% occupancy. The presence of major industry players like Infosys, Wipro, and TCS—employing nearly 50,000 people—continues to strengthen the ecosystem, with TCS also holding strategic discussions with the Hon’ble Chief Minister on further expansion. The establishment of GlobalFoundries’ R&D operations in Kolkata marks a key milestone in Bengal’s semiconductor journey. We are in the final stages of announcing forward-looking semiconductor and GCC policies to ensure a responsive, future-ready ecosystem. Under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, these initiatives are all aligned towards the vision of making Kolkata a leading IT hub in India,” he stated.
Mr. Arvind Kumar highlighted India’s surging momentum in artificial intelligence, calling it the third great wave in the nation’s technological journey. He emphasized that through national programs like the National AI Mission and 24 Centres of Entrepreneurship across India—including five deep-tech STPI centres in West Bengal—the country is nurturing around 2,000 tech startups, with 42% led by women and many originating from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. India’s IT and ITeS sector now contributes over ₹20 lakh crore in revenue.
Mr. Debashis Sen underscored the importance of policy-level transformation, stating, “We need a dedicated Ministry of AI—one that can holistically address challenges, establish a governance framework, and streamline AI development and deployment across sectors.”
Mr. Anuj Vaid painted a powerful picture of India’s digital leap, from AI-driven farm loan approvals in under 14 minutes to 1.5 million rural women trained as ‘Cyber Rakshaks’. He emphasized that with Gen Z leading purpose-driven innovation and agentic AI resolving real-world problems in regional languages, India is set to lead in AI, quantum technologies, IoT, and sovereign digital infrastructure.
Mr. Raj Jain, Chairman of RS Software, called for urgent infrastructure investment. “We’ve invested ₹1 billion in the software designing digital payment sphere and plan another ₹2 billion in the next five years. For India to truly lead, we must create dedicated AI and quantum centres to support the rising digital economy and talent pool,” he said.
Speaking on the centenary year of ICC, Mr. Amitabh Ray said, “ICC VisionTech 2025 is not just a reflection, it’s a call to action. The future isn’t something we enter—it’s something we shape. Let today’s insights transform into tomorrow’s breakthroughs as India moves from participation to global digital leadership.”
Welcoming the dignitaries, Dr. Rajeev Singh remarked, “It is a great pleasure to welcome our distinguished guests and eminent experts who have each contributed significantly to the tech landscape. As we open a new chapter with India poised to become a global AI hub, it’s vital that we focus on skilling our youth, empowering MSMEs, and building an inclusive, supportive ecosystem.”