CHENNAI: Until a decade ago, R. Kamalesh was an underprivileged teenager with big dreams and no direction. Today he is a successful entrepreneur providing jobs to twelve others.

Thanks to the loan and know-how lent by the Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), he generates a monthly turnover of Rs.1.25 lakh.

As an aspiring entrepreneur, Kamalesh approached the BYST in 1993.

Members of the non-governmental organisation identified the spark in him to set up a successful enterprise and gave him a loan to start his tinkering and welding unit.

BYST has nurtured over 1,000 entrepreneurs till now, who have in turn, created more than 10,000 jobs.

"At present we have 3,000 mentors who voluntarily guide aspiring businessmen. From acquiring loans to obtaining licenses, they help in every way possible. Our aim is to create a million jobs across the country in the next decade," says founding trustee Lakshmi V. Venkatesan.

Each aspiring entrepreneur is assigned to a mentor with several years' experience in business. They have regular meetings and discuss challenges and progress made.

Besides training them in skills such as accounts maintenance, they guide them and help them complete tax and license formalities.

"Some of my initiatives did not work. I incurred losses. But my mentor, Mr. Krishnan, told me such lows were normal and insisted that I consider alternatives. Finally, my attempt turned successful," says Kamalesh.

Loans are at present granted out of BYST's trust fund, at interest rates on par with those offered by most banks.

Applicants would not need to produce collateral security. Financial support from banks would be vital in the sustenance of the programme in the long run.

"We have been speaking to public and private sector banks," says Ms. Venkatesan.

"Industry, financial institutions and NGOs have to work together and address the issue. While there is this debate on reservation, most of our successful entrepreneurs are SCs or STs. We don't mean to take a stance on reservation, but our services are focussed towards most deserving candidates," she adds.

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