"The Centre has already given sanction to three more industrial clusters in the state. All three will come up around Kolkata and will operate soon," he said. The three projects will need an investment of Rs 15 crore. Another industrial cluster will come up at Khadra in Murshidabad – it is being funded by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and is already in the implementation stage, Gautama told The Indian Express.

He said the number of MSMEs in the state have reached about 6.5 lakh units, adding that as many as 20 industrial clusters are already operating in the state.

Each is worth Rs 5 crore and together they are worth Rs 100 crore. In addition to this, there are about 25 clusters of handlooms and 9 clusters of khadi in the state all a worth Rs 13 crore, he said.

Gautama said West Bengal has also sent nine more proposals to the Centre for approval. Besides, the state government has also identified another 102 industrial clusters in the state, he added.

The surgical cluster at Baruipur and the leather cluster at Bolpur are under the control of the Central government and are already functioning. In the clusters under the state government, the Centre, the state and the beneficiaries share the cost. The Centre provides the bulk of finances amounting to 70 per cent, while the state government provides another 20 per cent, which includes the cost of land, The beneficiaries or the stake holders chip in about 10 per cent of the overall cost.

Gautama further said an industrial cluster must have about 300-400 units and a handloom cluster must have 3,000 units to be economically viable.