“The Dalit entreprenuers must change their mindset. The New Procurement Policy for MSME enforced by an official gazette will open business opportunities worth Rs 8,000 crore for Dalit entreprenuers every year.”
Nagpur News: The Chairman-cum-Managing Director of United India Insurance Co Limited Milind Kharat, while exhorting the Dalit entrepreneurs to change their mindset and focus on achieving excellence, said that the New Public Procurement Policy for MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) 2012 would open new business opportunities to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore every year and added that this would help Dalit entrepreneurs move on to a higher growth trajectory.
Earlier, a Seminar on ‘Dalit Entrepreneurship and New Procurement Policy of Government of India’ hosted by Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DICCI) Nagpur Chapter was inaugurated by Milind Kharat, Director (Planing & Marketing) of National Small Industries Corporation Ltd P Udayakumar, Mentor of DICCI-Nagpur Chapter Arun Kumar, Chairman of DICCI-Nagpur Chapter Nischay Shelke and other dignitaries by lighting the traditional lamp on May 11, 2014. The Seminar was organized as a part of 123rd birth anniversary celebration of Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.
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The CMD Milind Kharat, who was the keynote speaker of the Seminar, said that Dalit Entreprenuers should ramp up production capacities and acquire new technology. According to him, Entrepreneurship is a vehicle for Dalit entrepreneurs.
He appreciated the efforts of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who had said that every bank branch must handhold at least one Dalit entrepreneur. He added that compulsion should be made on banks in this respect. Kharat demanded that Dalit Procurement Policy should be introduced to remove imbalances in the society. “There is a need to develop cluster model. Well-defined production, business zones with shared infrastructure and networking across geographies. Dalit entrepreneurs must diversify their business. Create more opportunities for interaction between Dalit entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, asserted Kharat.
Kharat further said that Dalit entrepreneurs must create more success stories and should possess leadership obsession with quality and keep their eye on innovation.
According to him, since 1991, when the country entered into the regime of liberalization, privatization and globalization (LPG), there was paradigm shift in the economy. Middle-class occupied the centre-stage which gave birth to entrepreneurship culture. Indian economy, pegged at USD 1.7 trillion, emerged as the third largest economy in the world. The average growth rate of 3 per cent from 1951 to 1991 post LPG period, registered an 8 per cent growth. India has 14 lakh companies with a vibrant culture. “In India, there are 30 million MSMEs employing 69 million people. Dalits represent 25 per cent population of the country,” he said. Kharat shed light on some of the constraints faced by Dalit MSMEs like negative perception, bottom of production, insecure supply orders or market access. “Dalit entrepreneurs need affirmative action support which is witnessed in countries like US and Malaysia. In these countries, Government is taking utmost care to nurture and nourish Dalit Entrepreneurship.
The New Public Procurement Policy for MSME 2012 focuses on global best practices. He called upon Dalit entrepreneurs to avail maximum benefits of the policy.
Nishchay Shelke, President of DICCI, Nagpur Chapter, said that as climatic changes have an impact on earth likewise human being grow with the inspiration of great people. “Dalit community has developed because for them Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar is fountainhead of inspiration. Dr Ambedkar always said that education is the milk of tigress,” he stated.
DICCI Nagpur Chapter which was launched under the chairmanship of Arunkumar Khobragade has got wings to fly to newer heights. The Chapter has organised various programmes like exhibition, vendor development programme, workshops, interactive programmes with bankers and seminars which received overwhelming response. DICCI member Manish Dhone who participated in Spain at the trade fair organized recently with the support of National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NISC) received unprecedented response. About 95 per cent of the expenditure was borne by NSIC. P. Udayakumar, Director (Planning and Marketing) of NSIC explained about the scheme in detail.
The Mentor, DICCI Nagpur Chapter, Arunkumar Khobragade said that policy document (including the Gazette) must reach to each household of Dalit community. The new Public Procurement Policy for MSME has earmarked a sub target of 4 per cent procurement of goods and services by all Central Ministries/PSUs from SC/ST entrepreneurs. This is first-of-its-kind policy which will prove as a boon and foster Dalit entrepreneurship. This has been a long-standing demand of DICCI and it has happened due to the efforts taken by UPA II Government. “We all have to be alert right from the beginning and make sure that unlike most of the past policy interventions for Dalit, this one does not fall to produce the desired results,” he cautioned Dalit entrepreneurs. “There should be transparency required for the success. Our people working in Central Ministries and PSUs and office-bearers of SC/ST associations have to remain alert and work towards providing information about tenders, giving feedback on awarded tenders and should make every effort to prevent corruption in any possible way especially in the form of fictitious SC/ST entrepreneurs. DICCI aims to help Dalit entrepreneurs access necessary information on market opportunities, train them to bid for tenders, provide adequate trade financing to help them meet orders and encourage supplier innovation and set up clear mechanism through innovative ideas. The policy document must reach to each house-hold of Dalit community in the country,” stressed Arunkumar Khobragade.
Other dignitaries present on the occasion included DICCI vertical heads Winnie Meshram (Head of Ladies Wing), Abhitabh Meshram, (Food Processing), CA Ashwin Kapse (Finance and Banking), Gopal Wasnik (Infrastructure), Hemant Ganvir (Retail and Trade), Kiran Meshram (Education) and Sudhir Bagde (Hospitality).
