Govt set to organise Synergy State MSME Conclave soon

Kolkata: The state government will organise a two day Synergy State MSME Conclave at the newly-built Biswa Bangla Convention Centre at New Town on August 20-21.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the showpiece event, which will be attended by over 5,000 MSMEs and experts from various

fields.

The conclave will focus on lean manufacturing, rural entrepreneurship, SME listing (Initial Public Offering), export orientation for MSMEs, industrial infrastructure and institutional strengthening, said Vijay Bharti, director, MSME, West Bengal.

The West Bengal government is focused on the betterment of MSMEs, Bharti said, adding that with innovations in strategy, help from the private sector and facilitation by industry associations and chambers, the state government is counting on MSMEs to become the driver of spectacular growth of the state and a steady and sustainable source of jobs for millions of young men and women.

Bharti said that the state government has decided to "evacuate" those who have taken land from the state government in different industrial parks, but have not yet started operations.

Pankaj Bajaj, co-chairman, CII Eastern Region MSME sub-committee and director, Bajaj Industries Pvt. Ltd, called for robust support structure – relating to mentoring, financing, quality standards, marketing inputs and technology acquisition for MSMEs.

Hemant Baheti, member, CII Eastern Region MSME sub-committee and managing director, Century Industrial Products Pvt. Ltd, said: "Banks and other financial institutions have been successful in making inroads and have made successful strides in order to bridge this gap. Also, considering the need, CII has set up a MSME Finance Facilitation Centre."

"The centre is providing advisory and credit facilitation support to SMEs. It is operating as a one-stop-shop, aggregating financing options from multiple large financial institutions. SMEs can apply for their fund requirements through an online portal and can have access to multiple Banks and NBFC through this centre," he added.

MSME FinFest 2018 saw representatives of seven banks hold one-on-one meetings with a number of MSMEs.