Bengal to upgrade leather MSMEs, tanneries under World Bank project
Kolkata: In a decisive push to sharpen the competitiveness of Bengal’s leather industry, the West Bengal government has launched a focused capacity-building drive for MSMEs and tanneries in and around Kolkata under the World Bank-supported Raising and Accelerating MSME Productivity (RAMP) programme.
Officials in the Department of MSME and Textiles said the initiative is designed to directly address long-standing gaps in skills, market access, technology adoption and environmental compliance in the leather cluster. “This is not a routine training exercise. It is a structured intervention to make leather MSMEs more competitive, export-ready and environmentally compliant,” an official said.
Sources said the leather sector has been identified as a priority zone under the state’s Strategic Investment Plan, which rests on six pillars — formalisation, access to finance, access to markets, access to technology, capacity building and greening. The current intervention falls squarely within these reform goals.
As part of the exercise, a tender has been floated. The selected agency will conduct a detailed assessment across key leather clusters in Kolkata and adjoining areas to identify specific gaps in technical know-how, financial literacy, compliance practices and digital capabilities. The assessment will form the backbone of a customised training roadmap for the sector.
“The government wants training to be driven by ground realities — whether units need help with export procedures, digital marketing, cleaner production systems, GST compliance or credit access,” a source in the department said.
An official indicated that at least 50 structured training sessions will be conducted, each covering a minimum of 50 MSME beneficiaries. Modules are expected to cover export readiness, e-commerce integration, product development, branding, financial literacy, digital loans, quality standards and sustainable practices. There will also be targeted outreach for women-led enterprises and entrepreneurs from marginalised communities.
Importantly, the programme will go beyond classroom sessions. Post-training evaluations will assess knowledge retention, and the top 10 per cent performers may be linked to advanced mentorship or specialised guidance, officials said. The entire intervention is scheduled to be completed within four months, with clear milestones tied to assessment, content development and delivery of sessions.
“This is about repositioning Bengal’s leather MSMEs for the next phase of growth — stronger on compliance, smarter on markets and more aligned with global standards,” an official said.
