CII's Project Digital Saksham Boosts Bengal MSMEs

Kolkata, May 22 (PTI) The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in collaboration with Mastercard's Centre for Inclusive Growth, is providing a digital boost to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in West Bengal through Project Digital Saksham, a statement said.

Targeting Kolkata, Hooghly, South 24 Parganas, and Nadia districts, the project focuses on industries like leather processing, fruit processing, handloom, textiles, books, and paper, it said.

Project Digital Saksham is playing a pivotal role in revitalising Kolkata's historic industrial heritage clusters, such as College Street Publishers and Book Retailers, and Baithakkhana paper and paper products, which have been integral to the city's industrial identity for 75 years, the statement said.

College Street, renowned for its over 2,000 bookstores, is undergoing a digital transformation aimed at reaching a global audience, it said.

However, approximately 30 per cent of businesses on the street have yet to adopt digital platforms due to various challenges, including technical hurdles, manpower constraints, and security concerns, the statement added.

To address this gap, Project Digital Saksham offers Bengali-language training programmes on social media marketing, e-commerce, and cybersecurity, empowering businesses to embrace online storefronts, it added.

"The project empowers traditional businesses to integrate into the digital economy. It acts as a catalyst for sectors like handloom, fisheries, books and paper to connect with a wider market," co-chair, CII National MSME Council Ponnuswami said.