Sadhan Pande stresses on need for skill development among younger generation

Kolkata: State Consumer Affairs and Self-Help Group minister Sadhan Pande on Tuesday stressed the need for skill development among younger generation and maintained that the government's initiative of Biswa Bangla is providing livelihood for around one crore women of the state by linking producers directly to the customers, thus giving them a platform to showcase

their products.

"Products made by our Self-Help Groups are of very high quality and very popular among foreigners too. We should explore options of going international with these products. An international fair is scheduled in Dubai in 2020 and we should not miss the opportunity of tapping it," Pande said in his keynote address at the '3rd ICC Retail India Summit 2018' organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

Alapan Bandyopadhay, Additional Chief Secretary of state MSME department mentioned though retail sector is still grappling with the problems of backward and forward linkages in the sector, it is one of the thriving sectors as well.

The state government has been trying to understand and capture the revolutionary world of retail with its initiative of Biswa Bangla — with the aim to be one stop retail shop.

Sanjeev Chopra, Additional Chief Secretary of state Industry & Commerce department praised the state's initiative — Biswa Bangla, and was highly appreciative of Sufal Bangla, a competitive retail prime vegetable outlet, which is proving to be significantly important for ensuring food and nutritional security for millions of people those live below the poverty line in our state.

Addressing the structural change the Indian economy is going through, HKL Magu, Chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council, said retail market in India is expected to reach USD 1.3 trillion by 2020 aided by the rise in technology and open market economy.