External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday launched Rural Industries Programme, Small Industries Development Bank of India?s (Sidbi) flagship development programme for MSMEs, at Jangipur in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
Mukherjee said Murshidabad is one of those 500 districts in India that are lagging behind. But the district has the potential to flourish if basic infrastuctures can be modernised.
?The government has decided to device rural industrialisation programme to combat the effects of global recession. The downturn in Europe and the USA has hit Indian economy, but here the condition is not as bad as that of the West,” Mukherjee said.
Under Sidbi?s programme, a detailed industrial potential survey in 10 blocks of Murshidabad was conducted in association with Nabard Consultancy Services Ltd. The report points to the district?s potential in food processing, artisans, wood and milk-based sectors. ?Murshidabad is a backward district, and a lot of work needs to be done to boost rural industrialisation,? Mukerjee said.
“Training of MSME workers is very much needed for the development of this district. Advanced technology should be used to upgrade these enterprises,” he added.
During the programme, Sidbi handed out loans to 125 self-help groups in Jangipur, ranging between Rs 5000 and 15000. It has also announced the opening branches in Burdwan and Kharagpur by March.