The Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF) convened its 5th National Council (NC) Meeting and Industry Leadership Evening at Kolkata, hosted by IIF-Eastern Region.
The event witnessed the presence of IIF Industry Stalwarts and Members across India including its National Office Bearers -President Mr. Sushil Sharma from Nagpur, Vice-President Mr. Vikram Jain from Jaipur, Hon. Secretary Mr. Prayut Bhamawat from Vadodara, Hon. Treasurer Mr. S Muthukumar from Coimbatore and Imm Past President Mr. Navneet Agarwal from Kolkata
Past Presidents from Eastern Region – Mr. Rajan Vaswani, Mr. Anil Vaswani, Mr. Ravi Sehgal and Mr. Vijay Beriwal graced the occasion.
Eastern Region Office Bearers including Chairman Mr. Ranjan Guha, Hon. Secretary Mr. Ved Prakash and Imm Past Chairman Mr. Goutam Dutta were also present.
Founded in 1950, The Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF) stands as the apex body and only PAN India association of India’s foundry industry — a federation of knowledge, craft and ambition spanning 24 Chapters and 1 Activity Centre across the nation. With its Headquarters in Kolkata, IIF has long served as the nodal voice between the foundry industry, its stakeholders and the wider world.
In the evening of June 19, 2026, the Industry Leadership Evening was held under the theme “Growth & New Sectors Driving Foundries in Bengal & The East.”
The evening was privileged by the presence of Hon’ble Shri Ashok Dinda, Minister of State for the Department of Agricultural Marketing and the Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles, Government of West Bengal, as the Chief Guest.
Mr. Ranjan Guha, Chairman, IIF-Eastern Region, delivered the welcome address. The Presidential Address was delivered by Mr. Sushil Sharma, President, IIF. Mr. Vijay Beriwal, Past President, IIF, introduced the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Shri Ashok Dinda.
Two presentations: “AI Applications in Foundries” was delivered by Mr. Naman Shah, Founder & CEO, NowPurchase and Mr. Amod Malviya, Co-Founder, Pre6, presented on “From Days to Minutes: What Frontier Manufacturing AI Looks Like.”
The Chief Guest, Hon’ble Shri Ashok Dinda, delivered a special address on the “Resurgence of MSMEs in Bengal.” He emphasized on promoting robust industrial growth in West Bengal, to make it number one and rooted for one window clearance for MSME units. The Hon’ble Minister also expressed keen interest in visiting foundries and promised a strongly industry friendly environment for potential investors across India.
A Panel Discussion on “Growth & New Sectors Driving Foundries in Bengal & The East” was moderated by Mr. Ravi Sehgal, Past President, IIF. Panellists included:
• Mr. Mayank Kejriwal, Managing Director, Kiswok Industries
• Mr. B. Adak, General Manager- Exports Steel Foundry, Texmaco Rail & Engineering Ltd.
• Mr. Santanu Banerjee, Chief of Marketing and Sales, Metaliks Division, Tata Steel
• Mr. Atreya Ghosh, General Manager – Marketing & QC, Jupiter Wagons Ltd.
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IIF placed the following policy Wishlist before the Government of West Bengal:
Stronger SGST reimbursement support for MSMEs and foundry units
ESI and EPF relief to ease compliance burden on smaller manufacturers
Relatively lower Power subsidy for eligible industrial units
Land reforms and ready industrial land, accessible and free of procedural encumbrances
Faster regulatory approvals to reduce lead times for new and expanding units
Cluster development support to promote collective growth and shared infrastructure among foundries
The evening concluded with a vote of thanks offered by Mr. Ved Prakash, Hon. Secretary, IIF-Eastern Region, before guests moved to the Networking Dinner, where the conversations continued freely with equal energy.
The 5th National Council Meeting and Industry Leadership Evening reaffirmed one thing: the East is ready and the foundry industry is leading the way.
Past President Mr. Ravi Sehgal who also moderated the Industry Leadership Evening Programme effectively summed up the mood of the day. He said “Today, the foundry industry — the backbone of manufacturing — stands at the threshold of a major industrial resurgence. With the advent of a new Government in West Bengal, a renewed sense of optimism is sweeping across the economic landscape with industries in expansion mode. We look forward to progressive, industry-friendly policies and a highly supportive ecosystem that will trigger positive change across sectors, while driving deep modernisation and sustainable growth within the foundry industry.”
