West Bengal Leads India in Women’s MSME Workforce: Minister

Kolkata: West Bengal accounts for 12.73% of women employed in MSMEs nationwide, making it the leading state in female MSME workforce participation, Minister of State for Labour & PHE Bhaskar Bhattacharya said at CII’s 20th Safety Symposium and Exhibition in Kolkata. He noted that the state accounts for 16.02% of India’s MSME manufacturing enterprises and 13.09% of other-services MSMEs, while women head 36.4% of MSMEs in the state. Bhattacharya stressed the need to shift workplace safety from a reactive to a preventive approach, including risk assessments, safety audits, preventive maintenance and worker training. The Draft West Bengal Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2026 was also highlighted. The CII Compendium of Good Practices on OHS 2025 was unveiled at the event.