State Cabinet today approved 100 new MSME parks with an eye on increasing scope of employment and industrialisation in the state as well as extended the existing incentive policy for the state approved industrial parks for next five years.

This apart, Cabinet approval was given for appointment of 642 medical technologists under which 485 new such posts would be created in 75 hospitals and remaining 157 posts in various hospitals would be filled up.

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The West Bengal Incentive Scheme for State Approved Industrial Parks was introduced in 2014 to encourage the private sector to set up industrial parks at own land and offer MSMEs to set up units. The Scheme aims to catalyse growth of MSMEs through creation of new industrial parks with basic common infrastructural facilities with state assistance in the form of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.

“Currently, there are 14 parks that have been set up on a total of 1300 acre of land and the state government has decided to come up with another 100 MSME parks,” said state home secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay after the Cabinet meeting in Nabanna.

Mr Bandopadhyay said that the state not only houses Asia’s largest leather park but has a host of other parks namely rubber, foundry, hosiery and others that have been set up in cooperation or partnership or association with state government’s approval.

According to the scheme, at least 20 acre of land is required for setting up 20 MSME units. Among the incentives include reimbursement of stamp duty and Rs five lakh incentive if the park has Common effluent treatment plant (CETP), which is used for collective treatment of effluent generated from small scale industrial facilities in an industrial cluster.

The state government will construct power sub-station free of cost and construct 1.5 kilometre of road connecting the main road.

This apart, backend expenses would be reimbursed by the state government depending upon the quantum of land of the industrial park. If the park is set up on 20 to 39 acre then government will reimburse Rs two crore, if the park is on 40 to 59 acre then Rs four crore would be reimbursed, if the park is on 60 to 79 acre then the reimbursed amount is Rs six crore, if the park is on 80 to 99 acre the amount is Rs eight crore and for parks set up on 100 acre or more land the amount is Rs 10 crore.