Rural Business Hub Initiative in West Bengal

Rural Business Hub Initiative in West Bengal has been set up under the initiative of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The aim of Rural Business Hub Initiative in West Bengal is to bring about an all round development of the rural areas of the state.

RBH in West Bengal had its first meeting in January 2006 under the chairmanship of Dr. M. N. Roy who is the Principal Secretary, Department of Panchayat & Rural Development, West Bengal Government.

The Initiative of Rural Business Hub in West Bengal is based on the Thai model of One- Tambon- One Product (OTOP). It is also based on the concept of Public Private Panchayat Partnership (PPPP). Rural Business Hub Initiative in West Bengal looks after the well being of not only the agricultural sector but also various other sectors that function in the rural areas of the state. The various sectors looked after by Rural Business Hub Initiative in West Bengal are:

• Micro finance
• Aquaculture produce
• Hand loom and handicraft products
• Food processing
• Poultry farming
• Medicinal plants
• Bio- fuels

The various objectives of Rural Business Hub Initiative in West Bengal are:

• To establish direct connection between the industry and the rural economy
• To incorporate industry to refine the quality of the resources that are available locally and to manufacture goods that are of high quality so that they are accepted both in the national and international markets
• To provide the industry a kind of mechanism through which it can directly procure agricultural products from the farmers
• To work along with the government of the state in order to bring about an all round development of the rural areas of the state

The various advantages of Rural Business Hub Initiative in West Bengal are that it has helped in setting up of a large number of industries in the rural areas of the state. This has increased the employment opportunities for the rural people, which in its turn have boosted their economic condition. Further the various advantages of the Rural Business Hub in West Bengal are that it has modernized the infrastructure of the rural areas of the state by setting up R&D centers, cold storage facilities, soil testing units, tissue testing laboratories, model farms, and bio control laboratories.

The industries have also brought with them to the rural areas of West Bengal, the latest technology, skill and training development, good farming practices, marketing and branding, agricultural inputs, value addition, and quality and standard increasing measures. All this has proved to be advantageous for the rural people of West Bengal for their incomes have increased due to better quality, increased production, less transaction costs, and entrepreneurship development.

Rural Business Hub Initiative in West Bengal has taken many steps in order to develop the rural areas of the state. The Rural Business Hub in West Bengal must continue with its efforts so that the condition of the rural people in West Bengal improves even more.

To get more information on the operations of Rural Business Hub in West Bengal, the contact details are as follows:

Mr Suparno Moitra
Head -- West Bengal State Office
Confederation of Indian Industry
6, Netaji Subhas Road
Kolkata -- 700 001

Tel: +91 33 22315571 / 6
Fax: +91 33 22315577 / 78
Email: [email protected]

last Updated 25/05/2011