Kolkata, Apr 25 (PTI) The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-West Bengal State Council on Friday outlined a comprehensive agenda focused on bolstering the MSME ecosystem, regional industrial clusters and sustainable development in the state.

Underscoring that West Bengal is the second-largest hub for micro, small and medium enterprises in India, CII West Bengal chairman Debashis Dutta said the industry body will work closely with the state government to connect MSMEs with large-scale industries and facilitate business linkages.

To widen the scope of business opportunities, “we will actively engage MSMEs with CII's centres of excellence and promote awareness about digital adoption like government procurement platforms such as GeM,” Dutta said.

A cluster-based approach has been proposed to boost capacity and market access in key sectors such as leather, textiles, gems and jewellery and engineering, he said.

The council has also recommended a district-level development plan for North Bengal to unlock the industrial potential of the region.

A major thrust will be on improving Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) preparedness among MSMEs, and the CII helpdesk will support enterprises in integrating sustainability into their operations.

The council also plans to roll out a series of training programmes in collaboration with premier institutions like the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) and Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), it said.

Sectors such as agriculture and food processing, logistics, defence, healthcare, and tourism will be in focus, too, with continuing support for manufacturing and infrastructure development, the council said.

Meanwhile, the inaugural edition of ‘IndusTech Kolkata 2025’ kicked off at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town on Friday.

Over 250 companies from across India will exhibit cutting-edge machinery, emerging technologies and innovations spanning the sectors of machine tools, plastics and polymers, rubber and leather, textiles and apparel machinery, steel, foundry and re-rolling, general engineering and automation, the organisers said in a statement. PTI BSM RBT