Bengal to set up B2B hub, Welfare Board, dedicated portal; Export facility centre to open in Kolkata & Siliguri

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unveiled a major roadmap for the state's business community during the "Byabasayi Sammelan 2025" at Netaji Indoor Stadium. Addressing thousands of traders, she announced the establishment of 'Trade Export Facility Centers' in Kolkata and Siliguri. These centers are designed to help local artisans and traders market everything from hand-woven looms to terracotta handicrafts directly to international buyers, streamlining the export process for traditional Bengal goods.

To modernize local entrepreneurship, the state will create a dedicated Business-to-Business (B2B) hub. This hub will serve as a central marketplace for all products carrying a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Beyond sales, the government plans to provide comprehensive training in packaging, branding, and digital marketing to ensure that local businesses can compete effectively in the global digital economy.

A key administrative highlight is the formation of the 'Traders Welfare Board.' This board will operate via a single-window interface to resolve business-related grievances at the district level. The Chief Minister emphasized that traders in districts like Purulia will no longer need to travel to Kolkata for bureaucratic hurdles; instead, District Magistrates and chamber members will hold monthly meetings to solve problems locally.

To address the critical issue of liquidity, the state is launching the 'Trades Portal.' This digital platform aims to end the chronic delay in government payments that often hampers business reinvestment. By uploading work completion data to the portal, traders can receive timely payments through a network of 72 connected banks. This move is expected to ensure that business operations remain uninterrupted by financial bottlenecks.