By Chandan Sharma
chandan.sharma@fachcha.com
Why enthusiasm and energy of our young generation go waste in the country like India? I have been some of the lucky participants, attended an interactive session of Professor Vinaysheel Gautam, Founder Director, IIM-Kozhikode and got opportunity to listen him. Prof. Gautam is known for his straight and bitter comments, whether his audience like or dislike he follows his own way to tell the truth. He left Indian Civil Services, over 40 years ago after knowing some of the latent secrets of Indian bureaucratic system and joined teaching profession.

According to Gautam, scores of entrepreneurial efforts go waste in the country despite investing lot of energy and capital by the Indian youth. There may be lack of skill, devotion in some of the cases. But in most of the cases their efforts aborted in the midway due to discouraging environment, created by our so-called steel frame of the country and the political system, irrespective of parties or personalities.

According to government data about 55 percent of the country’s population is young. A good percentage of the young population wants to be entrepreneur. But unfortunately over 90 percent fail to do so despite their honest efforts. According to a data, presented in the Parliament last year, entrepreneurs of only two states could achieve their success rate over 10% in the country – Gujrat, with a success ratio of over 40% and Haryana with about 12%. In other rest of the states the percentage of failure is 90 percent or above. Delhi too, claimed as the vibrant city, is not an exception and it is under the rest of the state category.

Why the situation is so grim in the city like Delhi. Again, reason is discouragement by bureaucratic system and political patronage to the system of ‘as usual’. The government keeps a blind eye on the blunting of the efforts of new entrepreneurs by their own officers and staffs. For instance, the city government, unable to formulate a policy for new media for past several years, thanks to its bureaucratic system and lack of political will. Chief Secretaries changed, Directors of DIP either resigned or transferred but the things remained as usual. Entrepreneurs kept knocking doors of the government, officials, from Chief Secretary to Special Secretary and Directors waiting for years so that things could change. But the system is so callous for the new comers and their nexus with the established conventional organisations are so strong that their all attempt to go to pillar to post becomes a matter of joy for the officials and staffs as well as government. Even, some times they help established organizations by creating new obstacles for the new entrepreneurs. It is another matter of fact that the SME sector is the second largest employer of the country and saved country during recession period.

The recent glaring example of sab chalta hai is the non-participation of Delhi’s tableau in the Republic Day parade. The concerned department did not participate as it had to compete with other states and had to show its ability among them. But the best way was to stay away from it like to keep themselves away from the decisions about new media as policy was not there. So what should a young entrepreneur or an energetic youth do? Wait to be ruined. If somebody even get success despite all these in the dog bites dog environment – Hats off to them to emerge as winner despite all odds.