Kolkata: Cabinet ministers in West Bengal on Friday cleared a proposal to name the state Bangla. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier proposed that the state be named Bangla in Bengali, Bangal in Hindi and Bengal in English. But the centre rejected the proposal.

Minister for parliamentary affairs Partha Chatterjee on Friday said the state cabinet had decided that the state will be renamed Bangla, and will be called so in all languages. The state wants to change its name because West Bengal is always last in a list of states in alphabetical order. The state will again seek the centre’s approval to change its name, Chatterjee added.

On Friday, the state cabinet also approved a proposal to offer steep concessions to Infosys Ltd to set up its development centre in Kolkata. Scrapping an agreement from 2010, under which Infosys had acquired 50 acres in Rajarhat township near Kolkata, the state has allowed the technology firm to scale back its investment and job creation commitments.

Both the company and the state government have said that Infosys will invest Rs100 crore on the development centre and create at least 1,000 jobs. Previously, Infosys had said it would invest at least Rs500 crore and hire 5,000 people. Also, under the new proposal, the state will allow Infosys the right to develop anything it wants on 49% of the 50-acre plot.

Infosys had previously declined to comment on the concessions, which were granted to compensate for the tax breaks that were promised for its Kolkata development centre, but it could not claim because the chief minister declined to grant permission to turn it into a special economic zone.

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