Bolpur: In a significant push towards strengthening Bengal’s grassroots industries, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India, organised an MSME Sensitization Programme at Gitanjali Cultural Complex, Bolpur, on Friday. The initiative, held in association with the MSME Development & Facilitation Office (MSME-DFO), Durgapur, focused on equipping local entrepreneurs with the knowledge and support needed to build globally competitive businesses through quality, standardisation and certification.
The programme brought together hundreds of entrepreneurs, artisans, manufacturers and industrial stakeholders from Birbhum and neighbouring districts representing sectors such as rice mills, packaged drinking water, tourism, handicrafts, Kantha stitch, bamboo products, banana fibre, cement, biodegradable sanitary products and several other emerging enterprises.
Addressing the gathering, senior officials from BIS and the Ministry of MSME highlighted how Indian Standards and BIS Certification could help MSMEs improve product quality, earn consumer trust, access new markets and enhance export potential. Participants were also informed about financial assistance available for establishing laboratory facilities at Common Facility Centres, enabling clusters to strengthen testing and quality assurance infrastructure.
The inaugural session was attended by Smt. Nishat Sultana Haque, Deputy Director General (Laboratories), BIS, along with Dr. Meenakshi Ganesan, Deputy Director General, BIS Eastern Regional Office; Shri Shubham Aggarwal, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Birbhum; Shri Animesh Kanti Manna, WBCS (Exe.), SDO, Bolpur; Shri Pradip Kumar Das, IEDS, Director, MSME-DFO, Kolkata, and other senior officials.
Technical sessions explained certification procedures, relaxations available for MSMEs, recognition of cluster laboratories and various government support schemes. The interactive programme concluded with an extensive question-and-answer session, reflecting BIS’s growing commitment to empowering Bengal’s local enterprises to meet national quality benchmarks while preparing them for opportunities in global markets.