Promising potential of a coordinated synergy between the railway and the port is required to ensure seamless cargo movement to the hinterland, said Mr Rathendra Raman, Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port at the Rail Synergy Summit 2025, organised by CII West Bengal in Kolkata. Adding to these, he specified, 65 MMT of cargo had been handled by the SMP port last year of which 35 MMT get disbursed by the railway.
Mr Ajit B Chavan, Additional CEO & Chief Seller Officer, Government E-Marketplace, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, talked about the efficient synergy among GeM, Railway and MSME sector. Further referencing statistics, he highlighted that increase in business value through GeM portal amounted from Rs 420 crore in 2016 to Rs 5.4 lakh crore in 2025 of which 37 per cent of this business has been contributed by MSMEs.
West Bengal is the second-largest hub for MSMEs in the country. Underscoring this, Mr Chavan pointed out that only 18,000 MSMEs from the state are currently contributing to the business activity on the GeM portal, indicating a significant untapped potential within West Bengal’s MSME sector.
Mr Kuntal Dasgupta, Chief Business Officer – GSS & Components, Texmaco Rail & Engineering Ltd, emphasized the importance of infrastructural modernization, in which he spoke about key initiatives including line electrification, the development of solar power stations, integration of AI and the implementation of real-time operations.
Informing the fact that among the 30 wagons manufacturers in India, West Bengal has 8 of them, Md Asad Alam, Managing Director, Braithwaite & Co said that the state is getting towards being the hub of rolling stock sector, developing the ancillary industry of the region.
Mr Debasish Dutta, Director, BGS group mentioned that railway sector employed 12.5 lakh people and emphasized about the mission of Indian Railway to become a Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030. He advocated about embracing the power of technology with AI automation, and digital systems poised to make railways smarter, greener and hence more sustainable.
The railway has played a vital role in bridging the gap between rural and urban areas, significantly contributing to the development of the supply chain network. Mr Vivek Lohia, Managing Director, Jupiter Wagons, added that the railway sector will also be pivotal in the process of transition away from fossil fuels.
A CII summit paper titled “Empowering Railways: B2B, B2G, MSME & Industry Synergies, Sourcing for Sustainable Future” get unveiled in this initiative. Hundreds of sectoral stakeholders grace the forum by their presence.
