Poised for a Take-Off

“After successfully completing 25 years of fruitful existence, the Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB) is poised for a take-off. You are the trendsetters of tomorrow. Convert your organisation into an influential entity with the capacity of transforming the situation in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector in the country”, RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat exhorted the delegates at the inaugural session of the Laghu Udyog Bharati’s Silver Jubilee conference in Nagpur on August 16. A 1700 strong audience of entrepreneurs drawn from Manipur to Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir to Kanyakumari was listening to him in rapt attention. National President of LUB Shri Jitendra Gupta and Maharashtra state president Shri Ravindra Vaidya also shared the dais.

Recalling his memories of the yesteryears, Shri Bhagwat narrated how he was witness to the establishment of Laghu Udyog Bharati in Nagpur 25 years ago when he was Pracharak of Nagpur Prant. Tracing the development of LUB since then, the Sarsanghachalak said today the LUB has grown into a huge organisation and has gathered enough strength to give a definite direction and new dimension to the MSME sector in the changing scenario.

Emphasising on development of the MSME sector and artistry to create wealth and to make maximum people economically self-reliant and independent, Shri Bhagwat said more enterprises grow the more economic independence would be ensured for individuals. But to achieve this it is necessary to do it with a holistic and decentralised thought. And this is what is lacking today, he added.

There is also a need to adopt an integrated approach for development of industry, agriculture and trade. The integrated approach would lead to creation of wealth, he said. For this we need to adopt a balanced approach in planning the schemes and to create a conducive atmosphere for the growth of MSME sector and artistry. This should be the mission and target of LUB, Shri Bhagwat underlined.

Shri Bhagwat said a small entrepreneur holds an honourable position in the society. He can influence the society’s mindset on social and economic issues and he can educate and enlighten the society on these matters. But this is possible only when our behaviour matches with our thoughts, he said. “People have understood our goals, now the individual way of thinking should be converted into national idea,” he added.

The inaugural session was followed by business session on creating wealth from waste. It was addressed by Shri Satyanarain Dangayach, founder trustee of Innovative Thought Forum and former Executive Director of Sintex Limited.

Union Surface Transport and MSME Minister and MP from Nagpur Shri Nitin Gadkari dwelt upon the role of MSME sector in making India a $5 trillion economy and fulfilling the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India a global super power in economic sector. Shri Gadkari said it is necessary to increase exports in order to make Indian economy strong in the world and in this the MSME sector can play a very important role.

The second business session was dedicated to Research and Development. Dr Ashok Rao from Bengaluru explained how the artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) is going to dominate the future and how we should be ready to adopt the science and technological changes to accomplish our mission.

Dr Bharatbhushan Joshi, Principal of Cummins College of Engineering dwelt on creating more wealth from less giving examples of Jaipur foot, clay utensils, Nano car, etc. Shri Vishram Jamdar, former LUB president and Chairman of VNIT Nagpur, stressed on the role of educational institutions and industries to achieve a better understanding between the two for honing the required manpower.

RSS Sahsarkarywah Dr Krishna Gopal exhorted the MSME sector to approach the Indian Institutions for technological advice instead of rushing to foreign advisors. He said that we have plenty of institutions that are engaged in research and development and they can better provide the required advice. Union Minister of State for Heavy and Public Sector units and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal was prominently present. Chairman of Associated Capsules Ltd. Shri Ajit Singh and Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal also spoke. The LUB also honoured the first generation entrepreneurs.

Shri Baldev Prajapat was elected national president of LUB on August 18. Shri Govind Lele retained his post as general secretary. The other office bearers included Shri Shashibhushan Vaidya (Vice-President), Shri Yogesh Gautam Treasurer, and Shri Sudhit Datey and Shri Rakesh Garg Joint Secretary. LUB deliberated on various issues in the three-day session. It also discussed the hurdles faced by the entrepreneurs.