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Eastern India, with its resources and strategic location, is poised for economic growth. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit in Kolkata will discuss its potential.
Logo of News18 Rising Bharat Summit.
For decades, Eastern India has been spoken of as a region of enormous potential. It has the resources, ports, industrial centres, talent and a strategic location that makes it India’s natural gateway to the East. Today, several of those strengths are beginning to come together, creating an opportunity for the region to move from potential to greater economic scale.
The shift is visible across the region. West Bengal’s economy is projected at ₹21.48 lakh crore in 2026-27, while a proposed ₹19,209-crore maritime investment pipeline aims to strengthen the state’s position as an eastern logistics and maritime hub. In Odisha, investments are expanding the capabilities of Paradip Port, while across the Northeast, new roads, railways and cross-border links are strengthening connectivity with the rest of India and Southeast Asia.
This changing connectivity is important because the East sits at the intersection of some of India’s biggest economic priorities from manufacturing, trade, energy, logistics to the Act East vision. The Northeast, in particular, is central to India’s engagement with Southeast Asia, with projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project designed to strengthen cross-border connectivity.
However, becoming unstoppable will require more than infrastructure. The East has a strong industrial legacy across steel, engineering, chemicals, energy, ports and logistics. The opportunity now is to build on it such as attracting fresh investment, moving manufacturing up the value chain, strengthening supply chains and creating more jobs. At the same time, cities need to keep pace with new ambitions, young people need the skills emerging industries require, and rural communities need stronger connections to markets, and enterprise.
Alongside this, a new business story is taking shape. Homegrown brands are scaling beyond regional markets, while digital adoption is changing how people transact, invest and build businesses. The region’s cultural influence, across football, cinema, literature, music and storytelling, adds another source of enterprise and opportunity.
This is the journey from Untapped to Unstoppable: bringing together the East’s industrial strengths, improving connectivity, entrepreneurial ambition, technology, talent and cultural capital, and turning them into a stronger engine of growth for India. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit – East Edition will bring these conversations together in Kolkata, asking what the region needs to do now to seize this moment.
Joining the conversation will be some of the most prominent names shaping the region’s political, economic and cultural landscape, including Shri Suvendu Adhikari, Chief Minister of West Bengal; Swapan Dasgupta, Finance Minister of West Bengal; Dilip Ghosh, Minister-in-Charge of Panchayats & Rural Development and Agricultural Marketing; Agnimitra Paul, Minister-in-Charge of Urban Development & Municipal Affairs; Dr Kalyan Chakraborti, Minister-in-Charge of IT & Electronics, Science & Technology and Biotechnology; and Tapas Roy, Minister-in-Charge of Industry, Commerce & Enterprises and Non-Conventional & Renewable Energy Sources and Samik Bhattacharya, State President, BJP West Bengal & MP, Rajya Sabha.
They will be joined by business leaders including Sameer Satpathy of ITC, Anjani Rathor of HDFC Bank and Nilesh D Naik of PhonePe, Anurag Choudhary of Himadri Specialty Chemical, Niraj Singh of Spinny, Abhijit Roy of Berger Paints, Gyanesh Chaudhary of Vikram Solar, and Sagar Daryani of Wow! Momo Foods, alongside prominent names from sports and culture including Baichung Bhutia, Srijit Mukherji, Saswata Chatterjee and Abir Chatterjee, among others.
Under the theme ‘Untapped to Unstoppable: Unlocking Bharat’s Next Frontier,’ the Summit will explore how the East can convert its inherent strengths and emerging opportunities into investment, enterprise and jobs, and play a bigger role in building an Enterprise Nation.
The News18 Rising Bharat Summit – East Edition takes place in Kolkata on September 12, 2026. Be part of the conversation.
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Ask News18The theme of the summit is “Untapped to Unstoppable: Unlocking Bharat’s Next Frontier”. The event focuses on how Eastern India can convert its inherent strengths and emerging opportunities into investment, enterprise, and jobs.
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Delhi, India, India
September 12, 2026, 12:59 IST
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