Bengal Govt starts GIS mapping of 570 MSME clusters to boost ease of doing Business

KOLKATA : The West Bengal government has started GIS mapping of 570 clusters for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the state to assess availability of infrastructure and skill of workers in these industrial facilities and help improve ease of doing business, an official said on Monday.

This mapping exercise will help the government identify the infrastructural gap in the clusters and develop a strategy to strengthen its services there, the MSME department”s secretary Rajesh Pandey said. “We are carrying out a GIS mapping project which will cover all 570 clusters. Such an exercise will help the government know details of infrastructure, availability of land and skill of labourers working in these industrial areas.

The initiative is expected to be completed in one month,” he said. Handloom and khadi sectors are also part of the mapping project, and the outcome of the exercise will be available on the department”s website, he said. “Results of the survey will enable the government to take quick decision on providing support in the clusters if required. For businessmen, this would be a ready reckoner of getting information about infrastructure and resources. They will be able to know details of land, skill and services required to set up a business,” he said.

As part of e-governance initiatives, the state government is aiming at giving clearance for projects without any physical contact, and the entire process will be on a digital platform as part of the ease of doing business, another official said. “West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation is also working on it and has already put all the details of industrial plots on its website,” he said.

Ten years ago, there were only 30 MSME clusters, now the number has gone up to 570, the state government official claimed. Efforts are on for creation of a GIS-enabled database of industrial areas across several states for greater logistics planning.

Source : Outlook