With the vision to create jobs in Bihar and push for entrepreneurship, The Department of Industries, Bihar, has come with an interesting initiative of Muzaffarpur bag cluster.
Collaborating with a Mumbai-based anchor unit and aspiring women entrepreneurs from the local community, it’s a market-led/linked sustainable, inclusive, scalable and replicable cluster development method that has been implemented through plug-and-play model.
Amir Subhani, Chief Secretary, Bihar inaugurated one unit and appreciated the efforts for this cluster.
Samir Kumar Mahaseth, Industry Minister inaugurated a bag manufacturing unit in industrial area Fatuha. With 225 machines, the unit will provide employment to about 350 people in phase 1 while another 225 machines will be added by March 2023.
Sandeep Poundrik, Principle Secretary, Department of Industries (Bihar) says, “Women entrepreneurs, new owners of bag units at Muzaffarpur and Fatuha, are confident, passionate, optimistic and also emotional. They are ready to fly. Bihar is taiyaar for a new chapter of industrialisation.”
It took less than two months from the date of application, to get the necessary approval and start the production.
The State Government had conducted the profiling and mapping of the skill sets of migrant workers returning to the state during lockdown.
It was observed that a huge number of workers, from the same region of Bihar, returned from Mumbai who were working for bag manufacturing firm in Dharavi. The department then started looking into the possibilities of a sustainable model for employment generation for these workers. Hence, it invited the Mumbai-based anchor unit – ‘The High Spirit Commercial Ventures’ and with the help of departmental convergence, provided all the extended support in a transparent manner to set up the manufacturing unit in Muzaffarpur Bag Cluster.
The department selected 39 JEEViKA didis and provided them financial support of Rs. 10 lakh each through the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyami Yojna- 2022’ to invest in plant and machinery.
Apart from these 39 women entrepreneurs, a total of nearly 2000 women shall also be getting direct jobs who were jobless earlier.
It has been projected that the total 40 units (including 39 women entrepreneurs, and 1 anchor unit) shall be manufacturing more than 6 lakh bags per month having a production value of Rs. 15 crore.
Through the help of the sector experts, the department provided one month in-house technical training to the women entrepreneurs and local workers for technical expertise. Further, to develop entrepreneurship and managerial skills, the Department of Industries organised a residential professional training at a prestigious management institution in Patna.
