Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani has announced plans to invest more than Rs 1 lakh crore in Bengal over the next decade, with the proposed expansion covering ports, logistics, power, roads, bridges, ropeways, green cement and hyperscale data centres.
Adani made the announcement at a programme organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata on Thursday, arguing that Bengal’s strategic location could make it a major engine of India’s next phase of economic growth. He said the state’s access to the Bay of Bengal and proximity to mineral and industrial belts in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh gave it a combination of advantages that few other locations in the country could match.
“For India’s next trillion dollars of growth, the East must rise. This is where Bengal becomes essential to fulfil the vision of Viksit Bharat,” Adani said.
The proposed investment portfolio spans several infrastructure systems that influence the movement of goods, energy and people. The group said its commitment would include port development and logistics, power generation, transmission and distribution, roads and bridges, ropeways, green cement manufacturing and hyperscale data centres. The announcement did not provide project-wise investment amounts, construction schedules, locations or commissioning timelines for these components.
Adani said the development should not be measured only through cargo volumes, megawatts of electricity or terabytes of data capacity. He said its “true measure must remain deeply human”, linking the proposed expansion to social infrastructure and public benefit.
Earlier in the day, the foundation stone was laid for the Adani Arogya Mandir, a 2,000-bed hospital in New Town. Adani said half of the hospital’s beds would be reserved for people who cannot afford quality healthcare. The announcement places the hospital within the group’s wider Bengal commitment, although details about its construction schedule, operational model and opening date were not provided in the statement reported by The Telegraph.
The group also announced support for the revitalisation of Kumartuli Ghat along the Hooghly river, a curated Durga Puja programme intended to promote Bengal’s artists globally, and the conservation of the historic Writers’ Building. These initiatives broaden the proposed expansion beyond industrial and transport infrastructure to include public space, cultural assets and heritage conservation.
Adani compared the proposed Bengal expansion with his association with Mundra port in Gujarat, which he described as his first “karmabhoomi”. “Today, with the same humility and sense of responsibility, it is my prayer that Bengal in the East becomes my second karmabhoomi,” he said.
The announcement comes as Bengal is being positioned as a connection point between eastern India’s industrial belts and markets across Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific. Its implementation will depend on the identification of specific projects, approvals, land and utility arrangements, financing, construction schedules and coordination with state and local authorities. The group’s next steps and detailed project timelines were not specified in the announcement.
