West Bengal govt to set up modern apparel hub

To boost the readymade garment industry in the state, the government of West Bengal is planning to set up a modern apparel hub at Nungi in Maheshtala Municipality of South 24 Parganas district. 

The hub will come up on a nine lakh square foot area, and will accommodate about 25,000-30,000 artisans and entrepreneurs, state finance minster Amit Mitra has said.

The new hub will boost apparel manufacturing in the state and generate more than 5 lakh jobs, Mitra said while addressing an event organised by the Bengal Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Traders Welfare Association.

The Nangi project will also have a common facility centre. It would help garment entrepreneurs working in the unorganised sector in Kolkata’s Metiabruz to shift to the organised sector.

“In Metiabruz, 90 per cent small entrepreneurs and artisans are unorganised. We want to bring them in an organised set up so that they can fetch better margin and manufacture more exportable products. The common facility centre will house design, laboratory and other facilities so that manufacturers can avail that,” said Mitra.

West Bengal has the potential of leading the next big growth in the garment segment which is the largest industrial employer in the country and is the best bet for inclusive growth as women are employed in a big way by the garment industry, said Confederation of Indian Textile Industry chairman Sanjay K Jain.

“Bangladesh exports (garments) almost double of India, hence (there is) no reason why Bengal with support of the government cannot take the big leap forward.”