Hon’ble Minister Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya graced the flag-off ceremony of MSME Yatra in Kolkata an initiative of ICAI
Kolkata 15th October 2022: The flag-off ceremony of the MSME Yatra in Kolkata is being graced by the glorious presence of Chief Guest Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya, Hon’ble Minister of State for Finance (IC), Health & Family Welfare, Land & Reforms, Refugee & Rehabilitation, Govt. W.B., Guest of Honour Shri Vinit Kumar, Immediate Past Chairman, Kolkata Port Trust , CA Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal, Central Council Member, ICAI, CA Sushil Kumar Goyal, Central Council Member, ICAI, CA Ravi Kumar Patwa, Chairman, EIRC. While praising this MSME yatra of ICAI for 75 days in 75 cities of the country, the Hon’ble Minister said that the West Bengal Govt will be cooperative towards this MSME initiative of ICAI in all respects. 
CA (Dr.) Debashis Mitra, President, of ICAI said that MSME is near to our heart. The MSME yatra bus will move from state to state and from city to city for 75 days. He said that the presence of the Hon’ble Minister in this auspicious occasion will boost us to move forward with MSME. The Chief Guest Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya, Hon’ble Minister of State for Finance (IC), Health & Family Welfare, Land & Reforms, Refugee & Rehabilitation, Govt. W.B said during her address that it is the duty of Chartered accountants to support the MSME sector. 7 lacs registration from West Bengal has been made already. The Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal is always supporting the MSME sector and 95% of the industry in WB is from the MSME sector. She said that this MSME yatra of ICAI would bring awareness to the entire country. During her concluding remark, she congratulated ICAI for its forthcoming ceremony of the World Congress of Accountants to be held in Mumbai in November 2022.
MSME sector has emerged as a highly vibrant and dynamic sector of the Indian economy as MSMEs play a very crucial role in providing employment opportunities with a much lower capital investment in comparison to large-scale industries thus enabling industrialization in rural and backward areas, assuring an equitable distribution of national income & wealth hence promoting socio-economic development.
The MSME Yatra, an initiative of the ICAI was flagged of on August 18, 2022, by Shri Narayan Rane, Hon’ble Union Minister of MSME in Mumbai. The program aims to coordinate, synergize and leverage the various elements of excellence driving innovation and entrepreneurship & wishes to facilitate the creation of ideas and inventions that benefit MSMEs.
ICAI has organised an MSME YATRA pan India basis covering 75 cities in 75 days to empower and assist MSME growth by supporting them in terms of capacity building. Eastern India Regional Council of the ICAI had been part of this ICAI MSME Yatra on 14th October 2022, where in its office Helpdesks were opened for MSME respondents manned by officials from SIDBI, NSIC, SBI, DIC, and DFO to address to the MSME needs. The Helpdesks had been in operation from 10.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
50 organizations from different Chambers of Commerce, Trade associations as well as Federations have taken part in the program
Employees deputed in the MSME vehicle during its travel within the city responded to various queries as raised by the interested lot and leaflets were distributed to them for better understanding and dissemination of important information with regard to the developments in the MSME Sector
