Micro entrepreneurship, artisanship and agriculture are the three promising areas where huge number of jobs can be created, according to Ravi Venkatesan, former Chairman of Microsoft India and presently Chairman of Social Venture Partners (SVP) India, a network of philanthropists.
Stronger focus on these three areas will go a long way in creating millions of jobs and boosting livelihoods at the bottom of the pyramid, he said while addressing TiE Chennai on Wednesday.
“Most of the activity relating to entrepreneurship is happening in big cities. It is cool to be an entrepreneur, and it is ok to fail also in cities. But the big challenge is to create entrepreneurs in small towns. A lot of work is needed to ignite entrepreneurship in these locations,” Mr. Venkatesan said.
He also stated that artisans segment offered huge potential. “No country has the same rich tradition of art and crafts like India. But the segment has not received the attention it deserved,” he argued.
Mr. Venkatesan said “the number of artisans in the country fell by 30 per cent in the past 25 years, and in the next 5-10 years, it is expected to fall by another 30 per cent. While a huge number of artisans are leaving the profession, their sons migrate to cities to work as cab drivers or delivery boys for companies such as Flipkart,” he added.
“Third area is agriculture. Though India is trying to emulate western model, we can mitigate the issue of urban migration by focusing on rural formers and improving their income levels,” he said.
He said SVP was working with orgnisations that were making good interventions in those three areas. “We have been experimenting with our models. But we want to commit ourselves strongly towards these areas in the coming years with our expansion to many cities,” he added.
SVP India, started in 2012 in Bangalore, has now its chapters in Pune and Mumbai. It will launch New Delhi chapter on October 1.
The big challenge is to create entrepreneurs in small towns. A lot of work is needed to ignite entrepreneurship in these locations.”
Ravi Venkatesan Chairman, SVP India
