Bengal govt empowering MSME clusters: Official

The West Bengal government is in the process of empowering MSME clusters in a bid to boost the sector hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official said on Monday.

The West Bengal government is in the process of empowering MSME clusters in a bid to boost the sector hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official said on Monday. MSMEs have an important stake in the state's economy with nearly 90 lakh units operating out of here, he said.

The state government is helping the clusters by providing training, tools, machinery, and setting up common facility centers, said Rajesh Pandey, Principal Secretary, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises - West Bengal. There are around 550 MSME clusters, including handloom and khadi, he said, adding the pandemic created a lot of disruption for the sector. Pandey, speaking at a webinar organized by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the state government has signed an agreement with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to onboard Bengal into its schemes for supporting the clusters. He also said the MSME department has discussed with SIDBI the prospects of extending credit facilities to the sector, providing support to startups as well as technical upgradation.