The twin Burdwan districts have recorded investment proposals worth Rs 4,650 crore in the MSME sector, which, according to state MSME Minister Chandranath Sinha, is estimated to reach Rs 10,000 crore in the coming years. Mr Sinha addressed the “Synergy & Business Facilitation Conclaves, 2024-25” for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at the civic body’s Srijani Auditorium today. He stated: “In 2024-25, bank lending to MSME units in East & West Burdwan is estimated at Rs 7,371 crore.

The number of registered units has reached 1,19,703 as of December 15th this year, which is a highly encouraging figure.” East Burdwan accommodates 69,656 units, while its western counterpart, known primarily for heavy industries, has registered 50,047 units. The West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation (WBSIDC), a Special Purpose Vehicle for MSMEs, is accelerating the development of three new industrial parks in East & West Burdwan. This includes a Rs 11.72 crore Common Facility Centre for the Refractory Brick Cluster at Salanpur, Asansol, covering 135 units and employing 5,100 workers. At Dharma in Salanpur, work is underway on a new Rs 14.51 crore industrial park on 7.09 acres that will house 27 MSME units.

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Additionally, the focus has been intensified on Phase II of the ambitious Rs 75.38 crore Durgapur Industrial Park on 27.32 acres, said Hiranmoy Chowdhury, Assistant Manager, WBSIDC in Durgapur. “The second phase of the Rs 15.18 crore Industrial Park at Shaktigarh in East Burdwan on 15.76 acres has nearly been completed, and the state-of-the-art infrastructure will undoubtedly attract numerous MSME units soon,” the Minister said. Two state-aided private industrial parks on 43.40 acres are being developed at Andal in Durgapur, where 61 MSME units with an accumulated investment potential of Rs 150 crore are to be accommodated, the Minister stated.

The Chairman of the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority, Kabi Dutta, proposed to the Minister at today’s conclave to establish a state-of-the-art entrepreneurship training center in Durgapur to nurture future investors. He said: “We need to cultivate smart investors with a futuristic vision in the coming days, and for this, we need to train the youth.” The Minister stated that a total of 58 units in these two districts have benefited under the Banglashree incentive scheme. Under the Bhabishyat Credit Card Scheme, an MSME initiative for unemployed youth with no educational barriers, a total of 4,757 loan applications for self-reliance have been approved by banks in these two districts until last November.