First synergy for North 24-Pgns: Proposals worth Rs 6K cr received

Kolkata: In a bid to ensure creation of employment opportunities with a boost in the MSME sector, the Bengal government is eyeing setting up of 100 industrial parks in the state in the next three years.

The first MSME synergy, held for North 24-Parganas on Saturday, received an overwhelming response with proposals received for an investment worth nearly Rs 6000 crore in the district only that would lead to creation of about 50,000 employment opportunities.

More than 400 entrepreneurs participated in the synergy and around 80 cases for permission, no objection certificate and licence were received of which 19 were settled on spot and rest will be disposed of soon.

Bank credit disbursed till November for North 24-Parganas was of Rs 6506 crore and an investment of around Rs 430 crore expected in next two to three years with over 23000 employment. Proposals to set up two industrial parks was received with an investment potential of Rs 5500 crore and employment of around 25000.

"At present we have two basic aims. First of all to make Bengal self-sufficient in different aspects including textile and secondly to create employment opportunities. In a bid to ensure the same, the setting up of industrial parks is quite important and we are targeting to set up 100 industrial parks in the next three years time," said the state MSME minister Chandranath Sinha.

Sinha along with the state Forest Minister Jyotipriya Mallick, minister of state for MSME Srikanta Mahato, Principal Secretary of MSME department Rajesh Pandey and district magistrate of North 24-Parganas Sumit Gupta attended the first synergy for MSME sector before the Bengal Global Business Summit that is scheduled to be held on April 20 and 21, 2022.

Total 11 synergies would be held in different districts and there would be a separate one for North Bengal. The first synergy for North 24-Parganas district was held at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre.

The main focus of the synergy was to address the issues that entrepreneurs in the districts are facing and to ensure that the same get sorted out at the earliest. After a couple of presentations on schemes, policies and facilities that the state government has introduced to support entrepreneurs, senior most officers of all concerned departments starting from MSME, Land and Land Reforms, Fire and Emergency services, Power and district administration held an interactive session with entrepreneurs.

Different issues starting from issues related to infrastructure in industrial estates to supply of power cropped up in the session headed by the MSME department's Principal Secretary. Kiosks of all concerned departments and agencies were also set up where entrepreneurs were helped to resolve many issues.

Land conversion, pollution clearance, fire license, permission of ground water extraction and cooperative registration were issued from the synergy.

At present there are around 72 industrial parks in the state and around 20 parks under the Scheme for Approved Industrial Park (SAIP).