West Bengal Strengthens Leather MSMEs Under World Bank-Supported RAMP Program

The Government of West Bengal has launched a focused capacity-building drive to enhance the competitiveness, export readiness, and environmental compliance of the state’s leather MSMEs. The initiative is part of the World Bank-supported Raising and Accelerating MSME Productivity (RAMP) program.

The leather sector has been identified as a priority under the state’s Strategic Investment Plan, which is structured around six core pillars, formalization, access to finance, access to markets, access to technology, capacity building, and greening.

West Bengal is home to one of India’s largest integrated leather clusters at Bantala Leather Complex, making the sector a significant contributor to employment and exports. With increasing global emphasis on sustainability and compliance standards, the new initiative aims to help MSMEs upgrade technology, improve productivity, and align with international environmental norms.

The RAMP program is designed to accelerate MSME growth by improving institutional support, strengthening state-level interventions, and enabling small businesses to integrate into global value chains. By focusing on structured capacity building and sustainable practices, the state government is positioning Bengal’s leather industry for long-term global competitiveness.

This move signals a strategic push to modernize traditional manufacturing strengths while ensuring that growth remains inclusive and environmentally responsible.

As Bengal continues to scale its industrial ecosystem, targeted sectoral interventions like this reinforce the state’s intent to emerge as a stronger export-driven manufacturing hub.