Mamata Banerjee on Friday inaugurated and laid foundation stones of nine industrial parks for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Howrah, declaring the projects would generate nearly two lakh jobs.

“A total of Rs 13,000 crore would be invested in these parks and two lakh employment opportunities would be created. When the country is facing a recession, we should focus on issues like this as it will give the younger generation a direction,” the chief minister said at a time of layoffs in several sectors of the economy.

Sources said the chief minister had laid stress on developing MSMEs as the sector has the potential to generate jobs. Also, the chief minister is focusing on this sector as there is little chance of the state attracting any major private investment in the near future, the sources said.

“The chief minister has to demonstrate that her government is eager to take initiatives to generate jobs for younger generations. If large industries cannot be attracted, it is better to focus on MSME as it is labour-intensive and can create jobs,” said an official.

So far, the state government has set up several clusters for MSME in different districts. Many clusters on leather, textile and handicrafts have done well and generated jobs.

“It is a good initiative as 70 per cent of the jobs in India are generated by the MSME sector,” said an official.