After CM's directive, 8 MSME synergies to come up in districts

Kolkata: With prompt action following the direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Textiles department has decided to organise as many as eight synergies for districts in cluster form to give a further boost to the sector.

Moreover, a calendar containing the schedule of the synergies, visit of officials at the district level and single-window video conference will also be prepared and it will be strictly followed to extend support to entrepreneurs for further growth of Bengal's MSME sector. This comes following the directions given by the Chief Minister in the recently held State MSME Conclave to prepare a roadmap for further intervention in the grassroots level to extend support to entrepreneurs from the sector.

Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the department, held a high-level meeting with top officials of the department and directorates on Friday, sources said. There was detailed discussion on all the points that the Chief Minister had mentioned during her address at the inaugural session of the two-day-long conclave and a set of decisions have also been taken up with a stress on the issues including district visit by officials, synergies and setting up of more clusters in the rural areas. According to an official, around 10 to 12 plans of action have been taken up.

According to sources, there will be synergies in districts every three months in cluster mode. The Chief Minister had directed to hold synergies by bringing three to four districts under one cluster.

Following the direction, it has been decided that eight synergies will be held in which senior officials starting from ACS of the department to the Industrial Development Officers (IDOs) of the area will be present to discuss various issues related to the MSME.

If everything goes as planned, there will be two synergies for North Bengal districts and one for entrepreneurs from Malda, North and South Dinajpur.

Another one will be organised for entrepreneurs from Murshidabad, Nadia and North 24-Parganas. There will be a separate synergy for Jangalmahal districts — Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore. Another similar programme will be hosted by bringing Hooghly, Howrah and South 24-Parganas districts, which are very close to Kolkata, under one cluster for the synergy. East Midnapore is the only district for which exclusively a synergy will be organised at Haldia.

A district visit proposal is also getting prepared and if everything goes as planned, a joint director of the Directorate of MSME will be visiting at least one district every month, while the director of the directorate will be visiting two districts in a month. A joint director will supervise four districts.

The date of the single window video conference has also been finalised besides talking up necessary measures for the export promotion of the MSME products.