CII at forefront of Bengal’s industrial advancement across various sectors

Kolkata: In a significant stride to enable MSMEs leverage the benefit of digital tools, CII with its Project Digital Saksham in partnership with Mastercard center for Inclusive Growth is working in 13 States and across 55 clusters.

The project aims to reach 300,000 MSMEs with specialised training to over 75,000 micro- entrepreneurs resulting in adoption of digital tools by over 50,000 enterprises.

The program will facilitate the transition of micro-enterprises from traditional to digital payment systems, guide them in registering on the Udyam portal, assist with e-filing of taxes, support website development and social media marketing for online product showcasing, and explore digital trade

opportunities.

In West Bengal, Project Digital Saksham is being implemented in Kolkata, Hoogly, South 24 Paraganas and Nadia in leather processing, fruit processing, handloom, textile, books and papers

industry.

The project is supporting in the revival of the heritage clusters of College Street Publishers and Book Retailers, and Baithakkhana Paper and Paper Products.

The clusters, with an average enterprise age of 75 years, are vital parts of Kolkata’s industrial heritage. College Street, housing over 2000 enterprises offering a wide range of books, is undergoing a digital transformation to meet global demand.

Despite this shift, around 30 per cent of businesses have yet to adopt digital platforms due to technical challenges, manpower constraints, and fraud concerns.

Trainings in Bangla on social media marketing, digital commerce and cyber security aims to assist these enterprises in transitioning to digital storefronts.

The trainings are supporting them in product cataloguing, digital marketing, and other essential aspects of online commerce.