For The Unemployed And Underemployed Youth

 

Most People pay lip service to employment generation. Some old time good persons think employment can be increased by employing more people in organized sector and in Govt. That will make them inefficient. Only way to increase certain amount of employment in organized sector is to create more and more globally competitive industries in manufacturing and service sectors (Auto, Textiles, Machine Building etc; Service Sectors BPO, retail transport, tourism health care etc) These can trigger in addition to limited employment in themselves, a lot of secondary & tertiary employment. That is why an urgent need for opening up the economy for Domestic and foreign investment. Since doing business in India is so difficult (hundreds of approvals before setting up industries and thousands of inspector-raj plus principles during operations) That is why many Indian investors are also going out to China, Russia, even UK, Europe for investment. Nobody who invests wants unnecessary headaches.

Therefore it is in the interest of underemployed and unemployed to put their weight behind investors, to remove unnecessary political, bureaucratic (govt.) controls on enterprises. These controls unfortunately, work against public good-helps only those who use 'power' and peddle in 'power'.

Similarly hundreds of such govt. regulations prevent simple loans to be given to young entrepreneurs. If Bill gates is great (he was a school drop out), it is the greatness of venture capital system. Govt. banks cannot loan to a ordinary persons.

So remember, more controls more affected are you. Now let us come to the main point. Even in this constraining circumstances of our country, how can create wealth for yourselves by legal methods?

There are numbers of Secondary tertiary tasks which are being done by individuals and individual households and small companies--at great in convenience to themselves. If you can spot these in your neighborhood, you can develop a small service industry around you; Even if it lasts for five years, it is good. You will have some money and experience to move forward.

Typical gap areas:-

  • Availability of fresh hot, low cost food, suiting different tastes (for morning office goers, in the office or work place and when the lady or the single persons returns from work)
  • Many domestic equipment like TV, microwaves, electronic equipment etc having trouble.
  • Paying various bills for electricity, telephone etc. Sending couriers or letters or money orders.
  • Supply of goods to their home In addition you can see how you can create interest in new things.
  • Circulation of some more expensive magazines to a far homes.
  • Similarly for DVD’s CD’s etc...
  • Some custom made plants at home (creating fashion)
  • Circulating fashion magazines
  • Vacuum clean houses by going with equipment
  • Creating some interest in arts; hanging of principles etc or their own photos.
  • Create a place for washing machine where people can come and use on change basis.
  • Arranging a network for pilgrimages

Yes in almost everything, I list there will be some system already going on. Five or Six preferably women members too get together talk about these and survey. If necessary go home by home to assess what they want.

Avoid unnecessary competition.Too many offering the same service will fragment.

Get into details e.g. not enough to ask do you want food to be supplied? Also details veg., non-veg (which type?) typical dishes, North, South, Gujarati type etc. (To the extract you think you can handle between your resources and capabilities) Find out the affordability level.

This method is called market survey.

Keep observing in every place a possible market. Assume a place is having too much junk, if you have it removed it is a service that will be paid. You may engage fellows and do it, Split the profits.

In others words create knowledge of market, a database take notes, then all of you get together and talk. Find out what you can do. May be you can request some good soul locally to give some seed money which you should vow to return.

I know it is difficult But if some of you try, you can make some break through Then you can slowly move up the value chain- have an office phone, computer etc. Multi-Functional Services (for Domestic and office sectors) initial focus.

Thanks to the efforts and good feelings of Mr. Krishnan of Krishna Sweets Coimbatore and Mr. Dhanapal of Minveli, I am going to meet a group of about 50 unemployed /underemployed (but who are serious to do something by themselves) Let me learn more from them. I will share.

My suggestion is that about 40-50 of in your localities (including women get together. Instead of gossip and blaming others and believing in false promises which are given everyday try to chalk out a plan and put into action.

If we are successful (Krishnan, Dhanapal, many others and myself), the way we want we will be creating small local networks through which some skills can be imparted for each of the new possible employment avenue. Also if possible some seed money.

But don’t wait for us. You start. Because it is your life.

Also an appeal to NRI Indians. If you are from a town or city, why don’t you help one group to launch off?

KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS IN CITIES AND TOWNS KNOWLEDE SHARING AND BRAND BUILDING.

I am giving this based on my detailed knowledge of and interaction with people of Coimbatore It will equally apply to many non-Metro’s - Aurangabad, Mysore Lucknow, Maduai, Baroda, Surat, Jaipur, Jodhpur etc...

Let me talk in concrete terms about Coimbatore; for other places you can translate it. I have spoken about these ideas in many places in Coimbatore and to many eminent persons, young persons etc...

Let us look at Coimbatore

  • Great traditions from G.D Naidu and others.
  • Private enterprises is the key (Govt. not investing earlier turned out to be a boon. An entrepreneurial culture and good work ethic have emerged)
  • Many eminent persons like Arulchelvan N. Mahalingam- Many manufacturing industries in textile machinery, agro group, domestic appliances etc.
  • More than 50 engineering colleges. Many top-notch
  • Many other colleges
  • Many high specialty hospital excellent medical professional
  • Excellent Ayurvedic medical centers
  • Siddha Medicines
  • Sugar industry - yield & quality very high in all Indian level
  • Tirupur nearby
  • Pollachi
  • Coimbatore Hub with other active centers will connect.
  • NGO’s Like Siruthuli
  • Also great literacy great groups Two time sahitya Academy viewer like Prof. Balasubramanium Sirpi and other scholars.
  • Many charitable Trusts operating.

But in the overall Coimbatore still have not realized their total potential. Each one is doing well and want to do more.

Imagine if the eminent doctors and medical technologists exchange ideas with others and share their knowledge both problems and prospects (We can share a lot of ideas even with direct competitors, keeping a few business secrets with themselves. Sharing knowledge is crucial in the modern world.

How to do it? I see this is a great business entrepreneurial activity for educated youth (men and women). About five, six of join together (composite group of men and women).

Do a quick research the number of specialty hospitals. Make a plan for bringing them together once in four months. Make a well presented document on the doctors, clinics profile. If all of them have websites good, if not note it.

Request for appointment for a few of them. Some may pooh-pooh you. You will get a break with a few persons. Arrange for a meeting. Make one Senior (doctor) or two to make a presentation.

Let their be a formal agenda- a name for the forum etc.

After meeting and discussion (not more 11/2 to 2 hours as doctors are very busy, the group can go. One or two you keep note, a few photos etc.

Make minutes and circulate. Such meetings will dissipate if there are nothing in common to follow up. Don’t push for non-profitable activities in the beginning.

  • May be one create a website for all
  • May be a regular write up about them in media
  • May be to help in Computerisation
  • Expenses for these to be covered by sharing between participants or one or two sponsor it.
  • Then one can attempt a common newsletter
  • Similarly start for Industries
  • Academics and soon

Initially you may not be compensated for your effort. But you should not lose money - Your initial efforts are 'sweat equity' for a future business.

Try to introduce a banker or financial institution person for the meetings.

Once you succeed in getting a few groups together in their own subjects (i.e. -doctors-doctors group Educational Institution, Engineering Group, Industries etc.) - then once a year you can attempt combined group.

One common theme could be how to project Coimbatore as a great destination-what further can be done? What are the gaps? How to synergise between groups?.

Don’t think nothing will come out. In our country nobody has attempted to do anything because we have believed for about 60 years after independence that Govt will do everything. Now you know what Govt’s can do.

Therefore try... at the most your efforts will go waste. But I will come out. Slowly various stake holders will help a new organization you will bring out which will become a good business for you and an extra growth for the stakeholders.

How did CII grow? Very small it was. It was the effort of Mr. Tarun Das to keep an association going and finding new avenues. It has grown so big.

At the Local Level

  • at Aurangabad
  • at Nagpur
  • at Raipur
  • at Bhubhaneswar
  • at Coimbatore

each place can succeed. Once many of you succeed in different places, you can link up.

Seeing this website suppose ten different groups start at Coimbatore or other places. Won’t my effort be waste?

Well in market driven economy you have to take risk.

EARLY BIRD CATHES THE WORM

Who know you may build in a new BRAND for your town and also do good business(This is the power of Service Industry)

PURA AND BUSINESS OPPURTUNITY FOR EDUCATED YOUTH

You would have heard of PURA- Providing Urban Facilities in Rural Areas. Our beloved Rashtrapatiji talks about it in many forums. Visit his website www. Presidentofindia.nic.in to learn more about PURA.

If PURA is established many persons (educated, uneducated old, young) will have new income earning avenues (not necessarily regular employment in the old sense). Efforts are going on in various areas- a lot of talks, a few action etc. But before starting a PURA a lot of data need to be collected , which villages can be linked which have greater potential etc.

Why not some of you do the plan initially as a sweat equity? Keep systematic data. Look for opportunity top sell data & information when groups run around for work. A little risky proposition but those who have extra energy & computer resources can try? If you have writing capabilities try also to contribute columns to newspapers. (You will get some remuneration) If there is a local industrialist or a trader - request them for sponsorship for such surveys.

Culture OF OUR VILLAGES AND KNOWLEDGE OF OLD PEOPLE

We pay a lot of lip service to our ancient civilization heritage. At best it ends up in Taj Mahal, Kajuraho, Ajanta, Ellora and perhaps a few temples of South like Madurai Meenakshi Annam temple. Then various classical dance forms. Some groups attempt folk music. in Republic Day there are some parades of folk dances. But India is too big: each of the 600,000 villages and about 5000 towns & cities have a lot of culture, legends, knowledge of the elders buried in them. There are old temples may be small, some dargahs with great history known to the local groups, many practices of local people, their rich stories, song, music - who cares most of them will disappear as some old people dies, when some structures are broken down, many good artisanal designs will go away!.

As a first step and as a good business venture: I suggest the following. Take the support of some local person. The financial supporter’s family, family history etc may be recorded in audio plus video form. Somehow manage a digital camera, & tape recorder. In order that it is not just an opinion request for another records to be 'shot' by digital camera, some old items of family vessels, books etc.

Then create similarly interesting items around the villages. Legend old buildings. Some old traditional craft, medicine or a weaving technique or a carpentry practice etc.

In other words, you recapture many glories of the past in a scientific manner. Some legends

Then the digital photographed materials and other audio records, may be edited in a multimedia laboratory-many towns nowadays have it. Many engineering colleges have it.

Make an interesting CD out of these!. all on sponsorship by some good person and efforts by you (i.e 3 or 4 persons term).

Those interested in these in nearby areas make e-mail contacts with each other

-I only hope that somebody with a financial clout and marketing network gets 'ignited' by this idea of 'RECAPTURING THE PAST' and distribute digital cameras audio recorders and good interviews techniques to many young women and men in the country. It can be a great cultural based business to begin with and create many innovations by 'KNOWLEDGE MINING INTO THE PAST'

In the meanwhile if a few interested youth, who may have a reasonable paying job start these activities in a small scale around the areas of their work through pooled efforts and some sponsorships, then it is a good beginning.

Again I should caution: when you start something, there will a number of problems. Forming a good team; agreeing on themes; getting a sponsor: In India we have a habit of not saying 'yes' or 'no' - drag on without results. I have faced such situations even when working for mighty institutions like ISRO, TIFAC etc and working for those institutions!!

Try!. Succeed