Kolkata, September 24, 2026: Building a robust ecosystem encompassing talent, entrepreneurship, innovation and investment is imperative for transforming West Bengal from a consumer of technology into a creator of technology, said Dr Kalyan Chakraborti, Minister-in-Charge, Department of Information Technology & Electronics, Government of West Bengal, at the inaugural session of the 25th edition of ICT East.
Themed “Eastern India in the Age of AI: Innovation, Impact and Inclusion,” the two-day edition focuses on emerging opportunities driven by Artificial Intelligence and the need to strengthen Eastern India’s technology ecosystem.
“Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies are already shaping India’s present, redefining business operations, government administration and the relationship between citizens and technology,” Dr Chakraborti said. He emphasised that Bengal’s technology journey must be anchored in innovation, measurable impact and inclusion so that the benefits of digital transformation reach all sections of society.
The Minister said that West Bengal has already prepared the West Bengal AI Mission and is working towards its implementation. The state is also developing a new roadmap for strengthening state data centres and expanding its AI and quantum technology ecosystem to create a strong foundation for future investments.
During the inaugural session, the report “Building West Bengal’s New Age IT, ESDM, Semiconductor & AI/ML Ecosystem” was released. The report outlines recommendations relating to incentives, infrastructure, skilling, research and innovation, as well as streamlined governance mechanisms for strengthening the state’s technology ecosystem.
Highlighting the transformative nature of AI, Sashi Sreedharan, Managing Director, Google Cloud (India), said that AI “does not respect legacy, tenure or hierarchy”. He stressed that the unprecedented pace of technological evolution requires organisations and professionals to continuously learn and unlearn to harness the technology effectively.
Sauvik Banerjee, Group CTO, Rezolve AI and Chairman, Rezolve India, called for the creation of a Bengal-focused AI ecosystem, asking whether the state could develop an “AI foundry” and a “Bengal AI stack” for India and the world. He urged industry and government to collaborate on AI solutions addressing Bengal’s diverse sectors, languages and use cases.
Deepak NG, Managing Director, Dassault, highlighted the growing role of AI in industry and underscored the importance of preserving enterprise data while developing industry-specific AI capabilities. He also pointed to the potential of virtual twins to simulate organisations, processes and products and strengthen industry-academia collaboration.
Describing AI as a major opportunity for Bengal, Debdas Sen, CEO, TCG Digital, said, “AI is inevitable. The question is whether we have the intent and resolve to do it from Bengal and lead it from Bengal.”
Prosenjit Sengupta, Chairman, CII ER ICT Sub-Committee and Group CDIO, ITC Ltd, observed that the rapid evolution of AI has shifted the technology conversation from conventional copilots to AI agents capable of executing complete workflows. He emphasised the opportunity for Eastern India to move beyond being users of technology and emerge as creators.
Manojit Sengupta, Co-Chairman, CII ER ICTE Sub-Committee and Delivery Centre Head, TCS, said that as India moves towards an AI-driven economy, Eastern India has a significant opportunity to contribute to the country’s emerging artificial intelligence ecosystem.
Photo Credit
Left to Right:
Ms Zoha Khurshid, Deputy Director, CII ER; Mr Sauvik Bannerjee, Group CTO- Resolve Ai & Chairman, Resolve India; Mr Debdas Sen, CEO, TCG Digital; Mr Ravi Rayavaram, CEO- Trade Marketing & Distribution, ITC Ltd; Mr Srihari Kannighat, Chief Digital Officer, JSW Group; Mr Prosenjit Sengupta, Chairman, CII ER ICT Sub-Committee and Group CDIO ITC Ltd, Dr Kalyan Chakraborti, Minister-in-Charge, Department of Information Technology & Electronics, Government of West Bengal; Mr Sharad Agarwal, CDIO, JK Group; Mr Shanoop Krishnan, Head- AI Sales & GTM Google; Mr Vatsal Shah, AI Tech Leader India & South Asia, Amazon Web Services; Mr Manojit Sengupta, Co-Chairman, CII ER, ICTE Sub-Committee & Delivery Centre Head, TCS
