Image by Antara Sarkar The jury is still out on factors behind a preference for self employment and entrepreneurship. For the rural poor, entrepreneurship is devoid of the glamour of valuations and venture capitalists, and more of a mechanism: a choice to do what they love while contributing to their family’s income. In this… Continue reading In Conversation with Kaarigars from Gujarat
Rural women remain ‘formally’ ignored and irrelevant in the agrarian economy. On an average, they have lower levels of literacy, education, and land (assets) holding sizes than rural men. Their freedom within households and communities is limited too. While at the same time, women are more responsible for managing the household, raising the children,… Continue reading The Challenges of Rural Women Bankability
Abstract: Kaleidofin was co-founded in 2017 by Puneet Gupta and Sucharita Mukherjee; former CFO and CEO of IFMR (Institute for Financial Management and Research) Holdings Pvt Ltd. As part of their roles at IFMR, Gupta and Mukherjee focused on designing products and developing technology to push for financial inclusion. In their field interactions, the co-founders… Continue reading Kaliedofin: Scaling up digital fintech solutions for the low-income customer in India
‘He’s my keeper…my friend…my protector. He is my Lord — Shiva’. Veena’s eyes glistened as she gestured towards the picturesque temple in the backdrop with folded hands. She is a woman of faith; her attachment and devotion to Bholenath easily palpable. Veena, 45, sells worship material from a small makeshift stall in front of… Continue reading People of Bharat: Veena Kalita, Jorhat
Image by thodonal88 on ShutterStock As we continue our primary research by interviewing workers of the digital platforms to understand the impact of data locked within big ‘gig economy’ platforms (lesser bargaining power, inability to access financial services, upward mobility bottlenecks etc) it’s important to understand the other side of the coin, the State. In this… Continue reading Data Ownership and the Policy Environment
Image by Oleh_Slobodeniuk on iStock In the previous blog of this series, we discussed the potential use case for introducing meso-level insurance in agriculture with Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) as risk aggregators and policy holders. Through insights from our ongoing research, we identify that there are several supply and demand-side difficulties in creating a vibrant and… Continue reading Creating Meso Insurance Solutions: Issues and Challenges
Image by Christopher Burns on Unsplash Here’s a story set in the early 2000s, shared by a retired senior manager of a small business in Coimbatore. The company he worked for bagged its first export order from a manufacturer in South East Asia. Towards the end of the first year, a team from… Continue reading Macro Perspectives V/s Micro Experiences
I am taking a walk outside the peripheral walls of Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow city when I see Pathik. The sky is overcast with rain clouds and there is a gentle breeze. ‘Chote-bade sab le jaate hain. Yeh gudda kisse pasand nahi aayega?’ (Kids and adults both buy these. Who does not like… Continue reading People of Bharat: Pathik, Lucknow
Image by Kaarigar Clinic The handicrafts sector is the second largest employment generator in India, providing employment to more than 7.3 million people. According to the national census of handicrafts, the Indian handicrafts industry is a billion dollar industry (worldwide) and contributes to 2% of the global market. According to the UN, over the… Continue reading A Digital Dukan for Kaarigars
Bhadra, 28, meets me at the entrance of the highway hotel where he works. He is tall, has a wheatish complexion and a pleasant demeanour. ‘Please accompany me to the backside’ he says and I follow him to what appear to be staff living quarters. We sit down in the balcony — I prefer… Continue reading People of Bharat: Bhadra, Ajmer
Image by Amitali on Shutterstock RBI recently came out with revised guidelines to elaborate Priority Sector Lending (PSL). It is an attempt to align PSL better with emerging national priorities and bring ‘sharper focus on inclusive development’. Lending to the agricultural sector (traditional, infrastructure and ancillary services) has been top priority for the past few years.… Continue reading FPOs and Bharat’s Funding Ecosystem
The recent pandemic as some say has created a level playing field in most of our lives. Entrepreneurs were (and are) staring at a never-imagined black swan. Brick and mortar business models suffered; while some tech enabled products and SaaS faced a good problem at a very bad time. Lack of funds hit both… Continue reading Impact is Real: Trends, Dynamics & Opportunities in the COVID era