Address at the Inauguration of ?career 2004 ? An Exposition-cum-seminar?, Mumbai

Entrepreneurial Opportunities in PURA

I am delighted to participate in the inauguration of ?Career 2004 ? An Exposition-cum-Seminar? being organized by the Prabodhan Prakashan. I extend my greetings to the organizers, education specialists, professionals, entrepreneurs, experts from various fields and all the students. In the present context I was thinking what I can talk to the aspiring student community. All of them are keen to contribute to our Vision 2020.

Developed India

Our nation is going through a major challenge of uplifting of 260 million people who are below the poverty line. They need habitat, they need food, they need health care, and they need education and employment and finally resulting into a good life. Our GDP is growing at more than 5% per annum. Whereas, the economists suggest that to uplift the people below poverty line, our economy has to grow at the rate of 10% per annum consistently, for over a decade.

To meet the need of one billion people, we have the second vision of transforming India into a developed nation by the year 2020. We have identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated action: (1) Agriculture and food processing (2) Reliable and quality electric power and surface transport for all parts of the country. (3) Education and Healthcare (4) Information and Communication Technology (5) Strategic sectors. These five areas are closely inter-related and if well done would lead to national, food, economic and security.

Integrated Mission

As you all know, recently India Vision 2020 has been given a momentum by certain initiatives. Our Prime Minister announced on 15-Aug-2002 that India would become a developed country by 2020. He has also said ?All the national efforts have to be directed towards this mission?. As you are aware a task team has been formed for one of the largest projects of the country for the feasibility study of interlinking of rivers to combat flood and drought. This will be the largest project of the nation. Prime Minister has announced a road map for implementing 5000 PURAs (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) out of 25,000 PURA Complexes. Orissa will have the unique honour of having the first fully government initiated PURA. This has kindled many private agencies and NGOs to direct their efforts towards creating more PURAs which are economically viable and technologically sustainable. One of the methods through which all of you can contribute to the national cause will be through becoming entrepreneurs in the proposed PURA scheme. The scheme is to provide four types of connectivities to a cluster of 15-20 villages. These are Physical, electronic, knowledge, economic connectivities. These connectivities will enable the village complex to economically sustain themselves with better living standard. The Government has already accorded in principle approval for creating 4130 PURA complexes during the next five years. The entrepreneurial generation in this scheme will provide large-scale employment for rural and urban community. Hence I would like to talk you on ?Entrepreneurial Opportunities in PURA?.

Employment Generation through entrepreneurship

There has been substantial growth in our higher educational system and we are generating over 3 million graduates every year. However our employment generation system is not in a position to absorb the graduates passing out from the universities leading to increase in educated unemployed, year after year. There is a large mismatch between the skills required for the modern economy and the education imparted to most of these students. This situation will lead to instability in the social structure. We need higher education focused on and oriented towards employment opportunities. A multi pronged strategy is needed to make education more attractive and simultaneously create employment potential ? how do we do that?

Firstly, the educational system should highlight the importance of entrepreneurship and prepare the students right from the college education to get oriented towards setting up of the enterprises which will provide them creativity, freedom and ability to generate wealth. Diversity of skills and perseverance in work makes an entrepreneur. It should be taught to all the students. In addition, college syllabi even for arts, science, commerce courses should include topics and practicals where such entrepreneurship is possible. Secondly, the banking system should provide venture capital right from every village level to the prospective entrepreneurs for undertaking new enterprises. Banks have to be proactive to support the innovative products for enabling wealth generation by young entrepreneurs by setting aside the ?conventional tangible asset syndrome?. Definitely this involves certain amount of calculated risks which can be eliminated by making an analysis of successful venture capital enterprises. Thirdly, there has to be an economic pull for human resources; for example generation of marketable products and enhancement of purchasing power among the people. This can come through the implementation of mega programmes such as PURA, Interlinking of Rivers, Infrastructural missions, Power missions and Tourism. Also genuine and competitive border trade can increase if we have a friendly border in all sectors.

The educational institutions, Government and the private enterprises should become facilitators for creating this entrepreneurship scheme through the support of the banking system and the marketing system. This is one way of reducing the employment gap leading to upliftment of the 260 million people living below the poverty line.

Economic Connectivity for PURA

Physical, electronic and knowledge connectivities provide the necessary infrastructure and the educational base for economic connectivity with market and small scale industrial establishments leading to employment and prosperity. The PURA has all the dimensions to become a business enterprise, which has global dimensions but operating in every nook and corner of our country. The PURA entrepreneur has to have the skill for evolving a business plans with banks and also create infrastructural support such as educational institutions, health centres and small scale industries, transportation services, tele-education, tele-medicine, e-governance services in the region integrating with the governmental rural development schemes such as road, communication and transport and also with national and global markets to sell the products and services.

PURA Enterprise

The small and medium industrial enterprises in India has experience in managing the small and medium scale industries of different types in various regions. This sector is widespread in the country and is a promising candidate for taking the leadership and managing the PURA complexes in an integrated way. Also major businesses in India with wide spread rural services have an experience of maintaining large rural-urban networks. PURA enterprises can undertake management of schools, health care units, vocational training centres, chilling plants, silos and building a market, building of local industrial / ICT parks, tourism services, banking system and the regional business or industrial units. A new management style has to emerge for managing such type of PURA enterprises. This new PURA enterprise needs partnership from the bank, educational institutions, Government and the private entrepreneurs. The management system should have the flexibility to be competitive and the country has to experiment several models depending on local needs. Structural Support for PURA: Leading industrial houses should identify the PURA complexes in the areas in their vicinities and adopt them right now, so that they can be developed in an integrated way. They should create a holistic plan of products and services, skills and entrepreneurship. Determination of products and services should be done on the basis of the core strength of the region and the availability of raw materials and infrastructure as well as comparative advantages. Once the product is determined it will also involve infusion of new technologies for making it attractive for both national and international market and also productivity enhancement. After establishing the process and methods a vocational training package needs to be established for improving the skill sets of the local population. Of course some persons may also be brought from other parts of India as it is necessary to have knowledge-skill sharing to increase growth. This is also the time for developing entrepreneurs with leadership qualities who will then create and nurture the enterprise. The selection of entrepreneurs should be preferably done from the higher educational institutions in the region, but not necessarily limited to as a rule. This will enable creation of the village level industries simultaneously with the establishment of connectivities in the region.

Conclusion:

For the year 2004, I have a message for the youth of our country. All youth should have indomitable spirit. Indomitable spirit has two components. First you should have an aim and work for it. Second while working, you will definitely encounter some problems. In those circumstances, do not allow problems to become your master, you should become master of the problems; defeat them and succeed. Fortunately our nation has a great resource of young population. Ignited minds of the young are the greatest resource compared to any resource on the earth, under the earth and above the earth. When ignited minds work and perform with indomitable spirit; prosperous, happy and safe India is assured. I wish you all success.

Now I would like to administer an oath for the youth which I would like you to repeat with me. Are you ready?

Ten point oath for the youth of the nation

1. I will pursue my education or the work with dedication and I will excel in it.

2. From now onwards, I will teach at least 10 persons to read and write those who cannot read and write.

3. I will plant at least 10 saplings and shall ensure their growth through constant care.

4. I will visit rural and urban areas and permanently wean away at least 5 persons from addiction and gambling.

5. I will constantly endeavor to remove the pain of my suffering brethren.

6. I will not support any religious, caste or language differentiation.

7. I will be honest and endeavour to make a corruption free society.

8. I will work for becoming an enlightened citizen and make my family righteous.

9. I will always be a friend of the mentally and physically challenged and will work hard to make them feel normal, like the rest of us.

10. I will proudly celebrate the success of my country and my people.