Tag: MSME

Chambers of commerce laud ‘forward-looking’ Budget

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The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday congratulated state Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra for presenting a forward looking Budget for 2016-17, with an almost five-fold increase in planned expenditure that focuses on education, employment, agriculture and the MSME sector.

The Chamber said it was encouraging that the state has also been able to achieve a robust growth of seven times in agriculture and four times in infrastructure development in the past five years, while at the same time pushing down fiscal and revenue deficits within manageable limits even against the backdrop of a huge inherited debt burden of over Rs. 2.5 lakh crore.

Rakesh Shah, president of Bharat Chamber of Commerce, Kolkata said: “Amit Mitra deserves rich accolades for the most remarkable accomplishments in terms of the reduction in fiscal deficit and revenue deficit. This is despite large scale implementation of several ambitious schemes and projects for growth in the social development sector, which are being emulated in other States of the country.”

Anil Vaswani, Chairman, CII West Bengal State Council said that the Budget is a developmental one “with a focus on small-scale industries, health, infrastructure and education. The Finance Minister has made proposals to expedite speedy dispute resolution of VAT appeal cases. This will certainly go a long a long way in improving business environment in the state.”

West Bengal to prepare export strategy in MSME sector

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The main purpose of the move was to promote various products including that of engineering, textiles in the international arena. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has already been signed between the state government and the Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) few months ago in which the latter has agreed to provide financial assistance and also advisory support.

The State Government is now working towards the building of infrastructure so that the products could be exported to various countries. This move will not only help to the state’s economy but will also create demands of various products in the international market.

The Government is working towards the building of infrastructure and it would be in place in next months. The Exim Bank has agreed to provide West Bengal with an advisory support for the implementation of new project and they would also provide loans for the export of our engineering, textile products and garments. The bank will provide loans to individuals on the recommendations of the state government and thus help the State in promoting our export policy..

West Bengal is the first state to prepare an export strategy and to implement it. Senior officials of the MSME department in the state are also in touch with the Exim Bank. The State Government has urged the body to look at the cluster so that it can give advisory support to them.

The State MSME department had taken up a series of new projects to contribute to the development of the socio-economic condition of artisans across the state by giving them a platform to showcase their handicrafts.

The State Government had set up ‘Rural Craft hub Project’ at 11 different locations. Around 3,000 people were initially involved in the project and later the number rose up to 15,000 within few months. It is planning to set up more such hubs in various parts of the state which will create 5 lakh jobs. The Rural Craft Hub Projects came up at the cost of Rs 10 crore in the first phase, while in the second phase many more hubs will come up in the state at an approximate cost of Rs 20 crore.

The Rural Craft Hubs were elevated to rural Craft Cultural Hubs in October 2015 to include the people who are involved in various cultural activities as well. The hubs which were already recognised by the UNESCO have become a place of tourist action as well.

 

MSME সেক্টরে রপ্তানি প্রক্রিয়া চালু করছে রাজ্য সরকার

ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং, টেক্সটাইল বিভিন্ন আন্তর্জাতিক ক্ষেত্র সহ বিভিন্ন আঙিনায় দেশি পণ্যদ্রব্য ও বস্ত্র রপ্তানি করাই পদক্ষেপের মূল উদ্দেশ্য। ইতিমধ্যেই কয়েক মাস আগে রাজ্য সরকার ও এক্সিম ব্যাঙ্কের মধ্যে একটি মউ সাক্ষর হয়ে গেছে যেখানে তারা আর্থিক সহায়তা এবং অ্যাডভাইসরি সমর্থন প্রদান করতে সম্মত হয়েছে।

রাজ্য সরকার এখন পরিকাঠামো তৈরি করছে যাতে যাতে তারা তাদের উৎপাদিত পণ্য বিভিন্ন দেশে রপ্তানি করতে পারে। এর মাধ্যমে শুধু রাজ্যের আর্থিক পরিকাঠামোকে সাহায্য করবে তা নয় আন্তর্জাতিক বাজারে চাহিদা অনেক বৃদ্ধি করবে।

রপ্তানি কৌশলকে প্রথম বাস্তবায়িত করে পশ্চিমবঙ্গ। রাজ্যের MSME বিভাগের ঊর্ধ্বতন কর্মকর্তারা এক্সিম ব্যাংকের সঙ্গে যুক্ত রয়েছেন। ক্লাস্টারগুলিকে দেখাশোনা করার জন্য রাজ্য সরকার একটি পর্যবেক্ষক দল তৈরি করে যারা তাদের উপদেষ্টামূলক সমর্থনও দেবে।

সমগ্র রাজ্যের আর্থ-সামাজিক উন্নয়নের জন্য রাজ্যের MSME দপ্তর একগুচ্ছ নতুন প্রকল্প নিয়েছে।

রাজ্যের ১১ টি জায়গায় রাজ্য সরকার একটি ‘রুরাল ক্রাফট হাব প্রজেক্ট’ তৈরি হয়েছে। প্রায় ৩০০০ লোক এই প্রকল্পের সঙ্গে যুক্ত, পরে কয়েক মাসের মধ্যে এই সংখ্যা বৃদ্ধি পেয়ে হল ১৫০০০। রাজ্যের বিভিন্ন জায়গায় এইধরনের আরও হাব তৈরি করার পরিকল্পনা রয়েছে যেখানে প্রায় ৫ লাখ কর্মসংস্থান হবে। প্রথম দফায় এই ‘রুরাল ক্রাফট হাব প্রজেক্ট’ তৈরিতে বরাদ্দ হয়েছে ১০ কোটি টাকা। দ্বিতীয় দফায় আরও ‘রুরাল ক্রাফট হাব প্রজেক্ট’ তৈরি হবে যার মোট খরচ ২০ কোটি টাকা।

২০১৫ সালের অক্টোবর মাসে রুরাল ক্র্যাফট হাব রুরাল ক্র্যাফট সাংস্কৃতিক হাবে পরিণত করা হয়েছে। ইতিমধ্যে ইউনেস্কো দ্বারা স্বীকৃত হাবগুলি পর্যটনের জায়গা হিসেবে পরিণত হয়েছে।

Thanks to Mamata Banerjee’s policies, Manjusha earns profit for the first time in 37 years

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For the first time since its inception, Manjusha, the State’s handicrafts development corporation, has made an operational profit, amounting to Rs 3.87 crore, during the fiscal year 2015-16. The corporation also witnessed its highest-ever business turnover during this fiscal, amounting to Rs 46.75 crore.

After the change of guard in the State, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had taken up a series of programmes to give a facelift to micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSME) in the State. Special emphasis was laid on Manjusha and Tantuja (the State’s handloom weavers’ co-operative). Steps were taken to ensure better management of the quality of products, creation of a wider product base, better management of the organisations and setting up of e-commerce facilities.

Manjusha was established in 1978. Over the past 37 years, this is the first time that the corporation has witnessed a profit, and it does not include any subsidy by the Government.

Tantuja has been churning out profits for the last three consecutive years. During 2015-16, it made a profit of Rs 3.3 crore, when the total business turnover stood at Rs 123 crore.

The introduction of the Biswa Bangla brand has set a mark and has helped immensely in the marketing of handicrafts and handloom products. It has resulted in a sharp increase in the demand for products made by artisans from different parts of the State.

 

৩৭ বছর পর লাভের মুখ দেখল মঞ্জুষা

এই প্রথমবার ৩৭ বছর বাদে ২০১৫-১৬ আর্থিক বছরে মঞ্জুষা ৩ কোটি ৮৭ লক্ষ টাকা লাভ করে। এই বছরেই মঞ্জুষার মোট বিক্রির পরিমান ছিল ৪৬ কোটি ৭৫ লক্ষ টাকা।

২০১১ সালে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী প্রথমবার ক্ষমতায় এসেই তাঁত শিল্পের অগ্রগতির বিষয়ে উদ্যোগী হন। গত পাঁচ বছরে মঞ্জুষা ও তন্তুজ আর্থিকভাবে বিশাল লাভবান হয়। জিনিসের গুনুগতমান ভাল করা, সংগঠনের ভাল ব্যবস্থাপনা এবং ই-কমার্স সুবিধা নিশ্চিত করার জন্যও ব্যবস্থা নেয়া হয়েছে।

মঞ্জুষা স্থাপিত হয় ১৯৭৮ সালে। গত ৩৭ বছরে সরকারি ভর্তুকির ওপর নির্ভর করেই ছিল সংস্থাটি। ২০১৫-১৬ আর্থিক বছরে মঞ্জুষার লাভের পরিমাণ ৩ কোটি ৮৭ লক্ষ টাকা।

২০১৫-১৬ আর্থিক বছরে তন্তুজের লাভের পরিমান ছিল ২ কোটি ৫০ লক্ষ টাকা। মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় ক্ষমতায় আসার পর আর্থিক বছরে তন্তুজের লাভের পরিমান ছিল ২৫ লক্ষ টাকা সেখান থেকে ৩কোটি ৩০ লক্ষ টাকা লাভের মুখ দেখতে সক্ষম হয়েছে তন্তুজ।

পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকারের বিশ্ব বাংলা ব্র্যান্ড হস্তশিল্প ও তাঁত পণ্য বিপণনে অত্যন্ত সাহায্য করেছে। এর ফলে রাজ্যের বিভিন্ন অংশে এইসব পণ্যের চাহিদা বৃদ্ধি পেয়েছে।

 

Trinamool Congress has brought a wave of development in Bengal

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Trinamool Congress has been instrumental in changing the perception of Bengal and has brought a wave of development under the able leadership of the party Chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Trinamool Congress has been the face of numerous movements ranging from Singur and Nandigram to fight against intolerance and has been fighting for the cause of strengthening the federal structure of the country.

Since 2011, after Mamata Banerjee became the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal, Trinamool Congress has been instrumental working on the erstwhile non-existent infrastructure in industry, health, food and supplies systems and above all brought peace in Jangalmahal and the Hills.

In Parliament, where Trinamool is now a force to reckon with, having 34 MPs in Lok Sabha and 11 MPs in Rajya Sabha, has been raising core issues and has acted as a constructive opposition.

Here is a short summary of what the West Bengal Government under Trinamool Congress could achieve in the last 4 and half years:

Numbers show where Bengal stands as compared to India –

The Gross Value-Added (GVA) growth of West Bengal stands at 10.48% whille that of India is 7.5%.
The increase in Per Capita Income in 2014-15 in West Bengal is 12.84% while that of India is 6.1%.
The increase in Industry in 2014-15 in West Bengal stands at 8.34% while that of India is 5.6%.
The increase in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery in 2014-15 has been 6.49% while that of India is 1.1%.

 

Development in Health sector

Since 22nd October 2014 user-charges for all sorts of investigations, medicine & beds have been waived for all secondary hospitals leading to a giant leap in materializing the goal for health for all.

To increase bed strength, the Government is setting up 41 new Multi- Speciality & Super-Speciality Hospitals. From just 6 Sick New Born Care Units (SNCU) in May 2011, the State now has 48 functioning SNCUs which are playing a major role in reducing infant mortality & morbidity. There was not a single Sick Neonatal Stabilization Unit (SNSU) in May, 2011.

Through Private Public Partnership (PPP) 95(ninety-five) Fair Price Medicine Shops (FPMS) have been opened with a turnover of Rs.544 crores leading to a saving of Rs.344.00 crores to the patients through supply of medicine & equipment by way of discounts covering 1.23 crore prescriptions. This scheme has been declared a Model Scheme by the Government of India.

In addition, 36 (thirty six) Fair Price Diagnostic Centres at Govt. approved rates, much below the market price (e.g. Digital X-Ray @Rs.100, CT Scan @Rs.500, Dialysis @ Rs.500, etc.), have been made operational, benefiting 40,000 patients & of which 9,000 patients have been given 100% free service

Free medicine and free bed-charges scheme – which existed in the zilla and district hospitals – is now extended to medical colleges.

Sisusathi Prokalpo, a free of cost surgery for children affected by congenital heart diseases has been introduced in three private hospitals, including SSKM, under Sisusathi Prokalpo. A human milk bank named Madhur Sneha has been opened at SSKM Hospital. This is a first for eastern India. A cord blood bank has been established in Kolkata, the first of its kind in the eastern region.

 

Development in Law and Order

As per published data by the National Crimes Records Bureau, Kolkata is a safe city for women, well behind in recorded crimes compared to the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. Kolkata was awarded the “best city” tag when it came to crime-rate and safety at the second edition of the India Today Best City Awards 2014, based on a study of 30 capital and metro cities and 20 emerging cities in India.

Fourteen (14) coastal police stations and five (5) cyber-crime police stations have been set up in the State. In the first phase 30 women police stations were set up, 10 more are being set up and the total target is 65.

Child-friendly Police Stations being set up and nine police stations in Kolkata and 29 police stations across the State have been shortlisted initially.

The Janglemahal area where Left-Wing extremism held sway until the new Government entered office, continued to remain peaceful with the local population being engaged by manifold initiatives of the Government in various economic, social, cultural and sporting activities.

 

Development in Land & Land Reforms

The Government has been consistently ensuring that the landless are provided land titles, which include forest pattas, Nija Griha Nija Bhumi (NGNB) and LR pattas. More than 2 lakh 30 thousand pattas have been distributed under Nija Griha Nija Bhumi (NGNB), a unique scheme which the Government has introduced to provide houses to the houseless people.

The state government has created an unparalled precedence by distributing pattas to more than 1,92,000 thousand landless families. In this regard it is worth mentioning that while 5670 and 37,723pattas were distributed during 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively, during the tenure of the present government, a record number of 1,06,264 landless families were distributed pattas.

In the last two years of the Left rule, the land revenues collected was Rs 520.62 crores. In 2009-10, the collection was Rs 244.08 crores and in 2010-2011, it was Rs 276.54 crores. In two years under the Trinamool Government, land revenues collected is Rs 1036.45 crores. In 2012-13, the revenues collected are Rs 483.71 crores and in 2013-14 it was Rs 552.74 crores. On an average, in the last two years in comparison to to Rs 260.31 crores collected by the Left Government, the Trinamool Government has collected Rs 518.23 crores.

In the financial year 2014-15, till December 2014, the Trinamool Government has already collected Rs 429 crores as revenue in nine months, which s expected to be around Rs 600 crores at the end of the financial year in March.

 

Development for Minority communities

Budget allocation of the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department has increased from Rs.472 Crore in 2010-11 to Rs.1737 Crore in 2014-15, an increase by almost 4 times.

Urdu, Nepali, Hindi, Oriya, Santali and Gurumukhi have been made official languages in places where more than 10% of people belonging to the respective communities reside.

With an increased emphasis on education as the means of development, fifty seven (57) lakh students from minority communities have benefited from different scholarship schemes. Construction of 279 hostels has been taken up for providing better educational environment for the first generation learners.

The Government is committed to address the need for social, educational and economic development of the Scheduled Castes (SC), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). 17% reservation in higher education for OBC has been introduced without affecting seats for General candidates, to be implemented over a 6-year period. Already 10.6% reservation for OBC has been achieved in 2014-15, the very first year.

The Government has introduced a new scholarship scheme “SIKSHASHREE” for both ST and SC students of Class V to VIII.

In the calendar year 2014, more than eighty thousand caste certificates were issued to STs and one lakh twenty thousand students were provided scholarships which are considerably higher than the previous period. The Government has increased coverage under Tribal pension scheme and nearly 1,32,000 ST beneficiaries are now provided old age pension.

The Government has constituted Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board and Tamang Cultural and Development Board for addressing special needs of both the communities living in the State. A Cultural Board for Sherpas has also been announced. The Government has taken up housing schemes for the poor Lepcha and Tamang beneficiaries in 2014.

 

Development in Micro Small and Medium Enterprises sector

While the country performed abysmally with a 0.7% growth rate in the industrial sector, constant focus on the MSME sector has been a major factor in West Bengal’s achievement of a 9.58% industrial growth rate in the financial year 2013-14.

West Bengal has the second largest number of MSME enterprises. It has 36.64 lakh enterprises which constitute about 10% of total Indian MSME enterprises. With an output of Rs 78,880 lakh crore it represents an important sector of West Bengal’s economy. Since 2011, more than 30,000 new industries have been set-up, with an investment of more than Rs 2,595 crore, This has resulted in employment generation to the tune of more than 2,02,245 jobs.

Policy for medium, micro and small-scale, and textile, industries, 2013-18 has been announced.

To promote innovative and high potential MSME enterprises, the Government has introduced MSME Venture Capital Fund with a corpus fund of Rs. 200 crore. New industrial estates and parks are being set up along with common facility centres for MSME and Textile industry in the state.

The Government has set up Biswa Bangla Marketing Corporation (BBMC) as an umbrella organization of Biswa Bangla showrooms and Biswa Bangla Haat to carry on the business of marketing for various traditional and heritage products of the State with special emphasis on development of market for traditional artisans/weavers.

Over 800 Information Technology companies are operating in the State. The Government had taken up a project of constructing of 15 (Fifteen) Information Technology Parks across the State It is expected that IT Parks at Durgapur (Phase-II), Asansol, Barjora, Purulia, Bolpur, Kharagpur, Rajarhat and Siliguri (Phase-II) will start operation within 2015-16 itself. Classes with the first batch have already started in the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) at Kalyani.

Bengal is No.1 in All India Skill Competition. The Government intends to skill 5(five) Lakh individuals in calendar year 2015 under various schemes. The “West Bengal Handloom Circuit Development Scheme – 2014” which will provided upgraded skilling to 97,000 handloom weavers and ancillary workers over the next three years has been launched.

The Social Security Net provided by The Government through the State-Assisted Provident Fund Scheme for the Unorganized Workers including construction workers, taxi/auto drivers has achieved a milestone with the enrolment of over 50 lakh workers with an expenditure of Rs. 187.50 crores in 2014-15 year.

Samajik Mukti Card, a smart card, has been distributed to 10 lakh unorganised workers this year. A system of on-line registration of factories has started from April 2014 and submission of factory licence fee through the GRIPS Portal has also been introduced. The Government has also started construction of regional offices of the Labour Department at Siliguri and Asansol.

In MSME, Bengal has the highest credit off take during April-September 2013 with a flow of Rs 8,900 crore in this sector. “This is more than 105% increase on year-to-year basis.

 

Development for Women and Children

August 14 has been celebrated as Kanyashree Dibas. The scheme aims to promote higher education and secure the future of our girl child and transform them to responsible women of tomorrow. So far 31 lakh girls have been registered under the scheme. Earlier girls enrolled in Class VIII – XII in schools used to receive an annual scholarship of Rs 500. The scholarship amount was increased to Rs 750 from FY 2015-16. One-time grant of Rs 25000 is provided to each of the unmarried girl student on attaining 18 years of age. UNICEF has partnered West Bengal Government after scanning the feasibility of the scheme. Department for International Development, United Kingdom and UNICEF selected the scheme for presentation at the ‘Girl Summit 2014′ held at London. West Bengal government won the Silver Medal for the “Kanyasshree Prakalpo” in the Category of “Outstanding Service in Citizen-Centric Service.” More than 31 lakh girls have registered to Kanyashree which gives them allowance to carry on their studies and side by side stops early marriages of girls and lowers the chances of human trafficking.

Besides Kanyashrre, the Anganwadi projects have shown tremendous growth with 35,926 centres set up till January 2015. The West Bengal CM has started a monthly allowance for the Anganwadi workers. 13 lakh women are now enlisted with the Sabala project.

In the last year of the past Left Government, in 2010-11, the panned expenditure in Women,Child Development and Social Welfare Department was Rs 715.30 crores, while in 2014- 15 the revised budget allocation moved by Trinamool was Rs 3170.07 crores, the amount increased by 4.43 times.

In the 2014-15 Budget (revised), the allotment for Child Development alone was Rs 2520.04 crores.

Uttar Dinajpur has been taken up as a model district for workshops regarding campaigning against trafficking of women and children.

A 3-year working plan has been compiled for building Centre of Anganwadi. 13,389 such new centres are being set up. Arrangements have been made for the women and children in Anganwadi Centres to receive nutritious food such as egg, soyabean, seasonal vegetables, rice and dal instead of Khichdi.

 

 

Unique ideas to flood Mamata reality show ‘Egiye Bangla’

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From a mechanism to clean river surfaces to a mobile app for ordering lip-smacking home-cooked food and a mobile app for tailor-made Dokra and other handicrafts – a variety of innovative ideas will be contesting for the top prize as 40 entrepreneurs across the state will appear in a novel TV reality show conceived by chief minister Mamata Banerjee and anchored by Sourav Ganguly and Jisshu Sengupta.

The format

The first episode of the show, titled Egiye Bangla, and funded by the state government, will be aired on December 6. Nine episodes, including the grand finale, will be aired on a private TV channel every Sunday evening.

This is the first business reality show in the country to be funded by any government.

The first phase of the reality show will feature 40 entrepreneurs in eight episodes. A panel of three judges – Bandhan Bank founder Chandra Sekhar Ghosh, restaurateur Anjan Chatterjee and IIM Calcutta professor Ashok Banerjee – will chose a winner from every episode.

The eight winners will appear in the grand finale. The champion, besides other assistance, would get equity funding worth nearly Rs 1 crore from the state government’s venture capital fund.

Promoting talent

  • Among the 40 contestants are a group of young passouts from Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur. They have invented a mechanism to clean the surface of rivers and other water bodies, using inflatable technology. In this mechanism, a balloon sucks in the garbage on river surface.
  • Another young man from Bankura’s Bikna village, known for the Dokra craft, has come up with an app that helps Dokra craftsmen improve on their designs and deliver tailor-made products for customers who can connect with the artisans through the app. He is also consulting professors at IIT Kharagpur to make the Dokra crafts lead-free. The crafts do not get orders from abroad only because it contains lead.
  • A group of Kolkata-based youths have come up with a mobile app to connect homemakers and foodies who want to avoid sinful street food or items from restaurants. In this app, a collection of homemakers will announce what they will cook for the day and for how many individuals. The food will be delivered to the customer’s doorstep by those who have launched the app.
  • Another young man in the show will offer to install solar panels at your home/ office with the promise of realising the cost of solar panels and installation over a period of time. He will also promise that the monthly bill will be less than the current power bills.

Reality show to promote entrepreneurs ‘Egiye Bangla’ to go on air on 6 December

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A plan to create greenery in and around urban homes, a logical reasoning module to strengthen mathematical skills of schoolkids and a chain of stores selling fresh juice that retains all the goodness of fruits.

Young entrepreneurs in Kolkata have such innovative business ideas and much more that could indeed help Bengal make a mark in the field of start-up enterprise.

Start-up plans such as these have come up in the business reality show ‘Egiye Bangla’, to be telecast every Sunday from December 6. A joint ini tiative of IIM-Calcutta and the state government the show aims at unearthing start-up ideas for entrepreneurship in business-starved Bengal.

An investor committee on the show will be as sessing the proposals, suggesting changes and eventually supporting the venture. Eight proposals have been shortlisted for the first two episodes being hosted by former India captain Saurav Ganguly and actor Jisshu Sengupta. They have left the panel of investors and those associated with the project mightily impressed.

The screening committee has already suggested certain changes to strengthen the modules and make the proposals business-friendly. The reality show will be telecast on Zee Bangla and will end with a final round in early February. More than 1,500 applications were received for the show from aspiring entrepreneurs across the state.

IIM-C will join hands with the state to identify prospective start-up entrepreneurs through the programme. As one of the top B-schools in the country , IIM-C will also help the winners set up incubation facilities in the innovation park on campus. The seed funding for the business plans identified as having prospects in future will be given by the MSME department.

WB Govt pulls cobblers out of daily drudgery

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A thousand odd people, belonging to 150 families, living in the heart of the city for nearly 200 years have suddenly found a parent. The cobblers off S N Banerjee Road, settled here as a colony on Uma Das Lane, have been adopted by the state MSME department to become self-sufficient and come out of economic slavery.

This week, the cobblers were given a loan without any collaterals by a commercial bank, which is a first in its own right. “We are trying to develop this cobblers’ cluster of Janbazaar as a model, but what was important was revenue. On the one hand, the cobblers needed skill development and a decent working capital and on the other, we have to develop a completely mechanized modern shoe-making unit that can be utilized by all,” said state MSME secretary Rajiva Sinha.

“We realized that if the cobblers have to reach a breakthrough, just a soft loan and bettering their traditional skills will not help. They need land to build a new mechanized centre. But since the cobblers are too poor, we got the West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation to buy a one-bigha plot at Beliaghata and give it on perpetual lease to the cobblers,” explained Sinha.

IIM Calcutta to associate with State MSME Dept for ‘Egiye Bangla’

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The West Bengal government is planning to focus on encouraging start-ups. As the first step, a television show has been lined up with a prominent channel which will be hosted by former skipper and Bengal’s icon Sourav Ganguly. The Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) will join hands with the state to identify prospective start up entrepreneurs through the programme.

As one of the top B-schools in the country, IIM-C will also help the winners set up incubation facilities inside the innovation park on campus. The seed funding for the business plans identified as having prospects in future will be given by the MSME department.

More than 1,500 applications from across the state have been received. One of the criterion for selection was that the applicant needed to be based in Bengal. A business proposal that has been implemented and has an existing unit not more than three years old can also apply. The applications will be evaluated by a team comprising faculty members from IIM-C, along with industrialists. Those shortlisted will be asked to demonstrate the business proposal in person before the panel of judges. A final list of participants will then be drawn up.

In the show –Egiye Bangla -participants will showcase their business plans on which they will be judged by a panel consisting of members from the business fraternity.

Participants can make business proposals on any industry apart from gambling, tobacco, liquor, explosives and fire arms. The parameters on which the applicants will be judged will include novelty of the business plan. Any other existing company which may have implemented a similar business idea will also be judged. The idea of the show is to offer a platform to budding entrepreneurs.

In 2013, the MSME department and IIM-C had signed an agreement during the synergy meet, where the B-school agreed to be a knowledge partner in the entire journey of Shilpa Karun Bangla Gorun. Egiye Bangla is the culmination of a combined effort.

Youths from Bengal prefer to go outside the state for their higher education. People here do not take entrepreneurship as a feasible option. Historically, we prefer desk jobs or a stable job with the government sector over taking the adventurous route in career. Hence, IIM-C wanted to collaborate with the state government to inculcate aspirations among the youth, bringing entrepreneurship in as another option apart from the regular jobs.

The reality show is scheduled to be telecast from December.

MSME capital fund to come up in December

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The venture capital fund for micro, small and medium enterprises, which was proposed in the last State budget, will start functioning from next month.

The fund will come up with a corpus of Rs 200 crore. State commerce and industries Minister Dr Amit Mitra said that his department has started the process to identify bankable projects for funding. “We hope to start allocation for micro, small and medium scale enterprises from this fund from next month,“ he said. The fund will also offer seed capital to budding entrepreneurs for starting business.

Dr Mitra spoke on the venture capital fund while addressing the annual general meeting of MCC Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Bengal was marching ahead compared to many other states in the MSME sector. The MSME facilitation and technology centre has been functioning for the last few months.

Dr Mitra added that 56,872 new MSME units have registered in Bengal between May 2011 and October 2015. “This clearly shows the growth in MSME in Bengal during our regime,“ he added. He pointed out that there has been a five-fold increase in the number of MSME clusters during the regime of the Trinamool government. “Only 48 clusters were created in the four years before 2011. But in next four years since 2011, 183 clusters have been created,“ he added.

Dr Mitra also said that total bank credit to MSME during the four years of Mamata regime was Rs 74,437 crore compared to Rs 32,000 crore in the last four years of the Left Front government.

The State government is planning 341 rural marketing hubs for MSME and agro products. “We shall invest Rs 3 crore in each hub and the total allocation will be to the tune of more than Rs 900 crore,“ he added.

 

50% subsidy for new MSME industry in Coochbehar: WB CM

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West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee batted for Cooch Behar as a possible investment destination urging “industry friends“and invest in this far-flung district. The Chief Minister promised the investors of all help and announced a 50% subsidy to the small-scale industry sector in the district.

Addressing a public meeting in Gumanihat in Cooch Behar’s Mathabhanga sub-division, the Chief Minister said, “Children from Cooch Behar go to Delhi to do some intricate gold jewellery work, they go to Rajasthan to do stone sculptures. Such works have opportunities here too. I will urge my industry friends with folded hands to please come and invest here. I will provide whatever you seek for it. But, please work in these far-flung districts. Please work and generate jobs.“

The State Government has been urging investors to lay stress on MSME. In near future, a business conclave for north Bengal is scheduled to be held. The Chief Minister in her recent visit to Bhutan had invited a Bhutanese delegation to attend the said conclave.