State govt to tie-up with CWBTA to host first-of- its-kind ‘shopping festival’

Kolkata: Shopaholics are soon to be spoilt for choices as the state government is joining hands with the Confederation of West Bengal Trade Association (CWBTA) to host the first-of-its-kind shopping festival from September 20 to 24 at Biswa Bangla Mela Pragnan.

There will be 400 stalls spread across two halls that will include leather, hosiery, rubber, plastic, gems and jewellery, foundry etc. Electronic items, including the most sophisticated mobile phones, will be available.

“Durga Puja is our greatest festival and not only Bengalis, but people from different communities engage in shopping during the Puja. The festival will ensure the availability of all types of products under one roof and at a reasonable price. Attractive discounts will be on offer for the buyers,” said Sushil Poddar, president of CWBTA.

Nabanna sources said one of the two halls will be dedicated to the state government where all the agencies of the MSME department will have their presence, including Banglar Saree, Tantuja, Manjusha, Biswa Bangla, Resham Shilpi, Bangashree etc. There will also be a pavilion for the GI products of Bengal. There are 27 GI products in Bengal that include Baluchari saree, Rosogolla, Dokra, Sitabhog- Mihidana, Nakshi Kantha, Chhau mask, Dhaniakhali saree, Darjeeling tea to name a few. UNESCO, which is collaborating with the state MSME department on a project associated with Rural Crafts and Cultural Hub will also have a pavilion inside the exhibition hall. Credai Bengal, an advocacy group for real estate developers in Kolkata, will have a pavilion where all articles associated with the interior decoration of households will be on display and sale. Misti Udyog and Paschimbanga Mistanna Byabsayee Samity will also create a Misti (sweet) Hub at the venue where they have been asked to make available the best sweets of all districts. West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) has been assigned the responsibility of curating the entire hall on behalf of the state government. The other government departments that will have their stalls are Anandadhara (Panchayats and Rural Development Department ), Tourism, Food Processing Industries and Horticulture and Minority Affairs.

There will be 140 live stalls of rural artisans with the MSME department hand-holding them in registering as sellers in e-commerce platforms namely Flipkart and Amazon right at the venue. Director MSME department will be co-ordinating the entire process.

“We have made arrangements of a night stay for these rural artisans at Salt Lake Stadium during the exhibition,” said an MSME department official.