India Today Conclave East 2021: Amit Mitra on Bengal's economic model, populism and more

At a session during India Today Conclave East 2021, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra spoke about a range of economic issues including the state’s model of growth. Mitra also defended the concept of populism in Bengal’s context and gave several examples to show how they have helped the state’s poorer population. He said, “Growth vs populism is a misnomer, it’s a myth. In the 19th century, this word was discovered when it was meant to be people vs this elite. Now, in that case, I am with the people and so is Mamata Banerjee.” Later in the session, the noted economist rejected Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s accusation that the implementation of economic projects in the state has been slow and also explained why some centrally-sponsor schemes have not been implemented in the state.