The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu
has said that fostering Grampreneurship can transform aspirational rural India.
He was addressing the International Mentoring Summit with the theme
‘Mentoring Young Grampreneurs for Inclusive Growth’, on the occasion of Silver
Jubilee of Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), here today. His
Royal Highness Prince Charles and other dignitaries were present on the
occasion.
The Vice President said that rural India is rapidly
changing and the rural youth too are well informed, are eager to learn, have an
entrepreneurial spirit, and quite often even global aspirations. He
further said that the present Government has been tirelessly working to promote
inclusive growth, to make India as one of the fastest growing economies in the
world. policies like Start-up India and Atal Innovation Mission are geared to
support the start-up environment, he added.
The Vice President said that the aim of the National
Urban Livelihoods Mission was to reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban
poor households by enabling them to access gainful self-employment and skilled
wage employment opportunities. He further said that the core belief is that the
poor are entrepreneurial and have innate desire to come out of poverty. The
challenge is to unleash their capabilities to generate meaningful and
sustainable livelihoods, he added.
The Vice President said that the constraints like
access to credit, advantages of technology, marketing support need to be
addressed and the BYST model of mentoring can play a significant role in the
growth of entrepreneurial culture. He further said that the challenge is to
encourage more youth to make the choice of becoming entrepreneurs, rather than
be job-seekers. Many more opportunities for decent livelihoods must be created
rapidly in the rural areas, he added.
Following is the text of Vice
President’s address:
“It is my pleasure to join you for the International
Mentoring Summit on Mentoring Young GrampreneursTM for
Inclusive Growth’ on the occasion of BYST’s Silver Jubilee and to
address, especially, the grass root entrepreneurs who have joined us from
all over the country, industry mentors and all other supporters of the
entrepreneurial eco-system.
I was delighted to learn that HRH
was the inspiration to Ms. Lakshmi to start the youth entrepreneurship
programme in India for the underprivileged youth. This program seems to have
been modelled after the Prince’s Trust programme in UK. We appreciate the fact
that HRH has been playing a stellar role and keeping abreast of the progress
made by BYST as is evident from the fact that this is his fifth visit to BYST
during the last 25 years.
I had the pleasure of
attending, earlier this year, the Inaugural International Mentoring Summit
conducted by BYST at Rashtrapati Bhavan and to unveil the logo of the
flagship programme of BYST – Mentoring India™.
In
today’s conference, it is heartening to see a
“meeting of the minds” of young people,
particularly those from underserved communities and the experienced and
experts in business – sharing experiences and exchanging
valuable lessons.
I understand, BYST provides a
facilitative environment to our rural youth, who have received limited
education, have started working early in life and are struggling on the poverty
line.
Rural India
is rapidly changing. The rural youth too are well informed, are eager to learn,
have an entrepreneurial spirit, and quite often even global aspirations.
Creating a facilitative eco-system
for rural entrepreneurship is very important. Mentoring is a crucial part of
this eco-system.
The present
Govt. has been tirelessly working to promote inclusive growth, to make
India as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Policies
like Start-up India and Atal Innovation Mission are geared to support the
start-up environment.
During
my earlier tenure as Minister of Urban Development, we had modified the
National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM). The aim was to
reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor households by enabling them
to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities.
The core belief of National Urban Livelihoods Mission is that the poor are
entrepreneurial and have innate desire to come out of poverty. The challenge is
to unleash their capabilities to generate meaningful and sustainable
livelihoods.
The constraints like access to
credit, advantages of Technology, marketing support need to be addressed and I
think BYST model of mentoring can play a significant role in the growth of
entrepreneurial culture.
Over the last twenty five years,
BYST has given wings to rural youth and enabled them to become entrepreneurs.
This is the group with greater aspirations but limited opportunities. They are
a group that needs guidance and encouragement.
I am
delighted to know that BYST is playing a unique and important role by providing
mentoring to the entrepreneurs whether they are competing with the industry
giants in the metros or difficult rural hinterland of Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra,
Odisha, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
When I hear that BYST entrepreneurs
have been winning national and international awards, I can see that they have
broken through a whole range of barriers. They are making a tremendous success
of their business primarily due to the
steady support of their mentors.
I congratulate the winning
entrepreneurs and mentors of the BYST Silver Jubilee Awards today.
These are truly excellent
examples of the efficacy of mentoring.
Encouraging
entrepreneurship in young people is an important way of harnessing their
enthusiasm, energy and ambition to contribute to economic development.
Fostering Grampreneurship can transform aspirational rural India.
The
challenge is to encourage more youth to make the choice of becoming
entrepreneurs, rather than be job-seekers. Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST)
is a successful example of this paradigm. Many more opportunities for decent
livelihoods must be created rapidly in the rural areas.
Lakhs of youth emerge
from various Govt. Sponsored Entrepreneurship Development Programmes or EDP.
However, for them to apply their skills, develop further and fulfil their
potential, they need sustained support, guidance, counselling and timely
advice. In short, they require “Mentoring”.
In the absence of
quality mentoring, the youth find themselves lacking focus and direction to
channel their skills and become successful entrepreneurs. The nurturing and
follow up support provided by mentors during the crucial first years of
operation of a new business is critical. This support can often make the
difference between abject failure and spectacular success.
This is
where Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST) has excelled with
its proven model of mentoring ‘bottom of the pyramid’ entrepreneurs, and
provide the vital link in the entire chain of entrepreneur support
system. The theme of today’s summit is,
therefore, very aptly titled “mentoring young grampreneurs for
inclusive growth”.
Both the public and
Private sectors have to play a catalytic role in further developing such an
eco-system. I can see immense scope and possible intervention of Corporate
Social Responsibility funding to support the unique mentor movement in order to
create successful entrepreneurs.
Finally, I congratulate BYST for completing 25 years in the service
of youth entrepreneurship development through mentoring and handholding
support. I wish this organization many more years of
excellent work in creating a New Generation of rural entrepreneurs.
Thank you. Jai Hind.”
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KSD/BK
