CII at the forefront of Bengal’s industrial development in various sectors

Kolkata: Marking a significant step forward in enabling small and medium enterprises to leverage the benefits of digital tools, CII under its Digital Saksham project in collaboration with Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth is operating in 13 states and 55 clusters.

The project aims to reach 300,000 small and medium-sized enterprises through specialized training for over 75,000 micro-entrepreneurs, which will result in the adoption of digital tools by over 50,000 enterprises.

The program will facilitate micro-enterprises in switching from traditional to digital payment systems, assist them in registering on the Udyam portal, assist in e-filing of tax returns, support website development and social media marketing to showcase products online, and explore digital commerce

possibilities.

In West Bengal, the Digital Saksham project is being implemented in Kolkata, Hoogly, South 24 Paraganas and Nadia in the areas of leather processing, fruit processing, handloom, textiles, books and paper

industry.

The project supports the revival of heritage clusters including College Street publishers and book dealers and Baithakkhana Paper and Paper Products.

The clusters, where the average age of enterprises is 75 years, form an important part of Kolkata’s industrial heritage. College Street, home to more than 2,000 businesses offering a wide range of books, is undergoing a digital transformation to meet global demand.

Despite this shift, about 30 percent of companies have not yet adopted digital platforms due to technical challenges, staffing constraints and fraud concerns.

Bengali-language training on social media marketing, digital commerce and cyber security aims to help these businesses transition to digital storefronts.

The training supports them in product cataloguing, digital marketing and other important aspects of online commerce.