Walking along the streets of Kolkata’s South end settlements, I come across a shop run by two men; one of them sitting at a desktop. Finding it highly unusual to find a desktop in a street shop, I approach them and strike up a conversation with the younger-looking one among them. I learn… Continue reading People of Bharat: Ajay Kumar Dey, Kolkata
Ten years ago in The Wall Street Journal(WSJ), Bindu Ananth and Nachiket Mor used noise-cancelling headphones to explain the role of finance. ‘Noise-cancelling headphones,’ they wrote, ‘listen and respond precisely to the noises in the environment of the listener and cancel them out instantaneously, leaving only smooth and high-quality music.’ Financial tools can give a smooth and… Continue reading Disentangling the growth of MSMEs: A study in Tamil Nadu
Image by azadjain1 on Shutterstock As the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions significantly impacted livelihoods of artisans and craft communities, and survival of crafts enterprises, Startup Oasis and CIIE.CO reached out to sector experts and entrepreneurs to gather insights on ways to sustain businesses and to predict the immediate future for crafts. Last week, we… Continue reading Impact of Government’s Reforms on Crafts in India
Image by Uplift Mutuals Rakesh, a 25 year-old from Kranti Nagar Chawl in Mumbai works as a valet in a food delivery platform. His average monthly income is around Rs 17,000 with which he supports a family of three — his elderly parents and a younger sister. His monthly expenses primarily include food, house… Continue reading Insuring Bharat: Scaling Up People Led Risk Protection
Government statistics assert that 81% of India’s employed individuals work in the informal sector or the unorganised sector, with 64% of this group engaged in non-agricultural form of employment. This non-farm sector comprises both — micro enterprises providing products and services, and artisans who form the second largest livelihood group in rural India. Entrepreneurs… Continue reading Are mobile phones the solution for rural women’s entrepreneurship?
At times like these, what does it take to be a founder? What does it mean to be a leader at the helm of affairs of a startup? What does it mean to stare into darkness yet light up hope and passion? How can you remain honest yet inspire optimism? COVID-19 is brutally testing the… Continue reading Layered lessons in exemplary leadership
Photo by Radiokukka on iStock In a country with roughly 150 million of its population working as farmers, 88% among these are small and marginal farmers. It implies that their average landholding is less than 2 hectares. This makes it difficult to produce enough to sell or add value, and even more difficult for the individual… Continue reading FPOs for Financial Inclusion
Image by Ahmad Saifulloh on Shutterstock Handicrafts and handlooms are the biggest source of employment in rural and semi-urban India after agriculture. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions have significantly impacted livelihoods of artisans and craft communities, bringing them to a literal halt. Old payments are stuck, new orders aren’t coming in, unsold… Continue reading Predicting the Immediate Future for Crafts Startups post Covid-19
This blog tells about an Edutech that is bridging the gap between skills and job readiness of India’s IT graduates from remote towns. The story also uncovers how GUVI has been navigating successfully through the COVID-19 crisis. The light bulb moment Approximately 80% of computers, electronics, or allied engineering graduates are not… Continue reading GUVI: Bridging the language divide in learning technical skills
Image by Saurav022 on Shutterstock The bustling streets of Kamla Nagar market in Delhi are a riot of colors — sporting stalls that sell everything from knockoff shoes to fancy phone cases. I finally push through the crowds to reach a cart heaped with distinctly colourful bags and shiny junk jewellery. This particular stall is owned… Continue reading People of Bharat: Revaben, Delhi
The Craft Catapult, the recent national accelerator program by Startup Oasis, has been a huge step towards bringing traditional crafts and modern technologies together and leveraging them to position India as a crafting hub of the world for sustainable, high quality handcrafted products. The current lockdown imposed due to COVID-19 however, has disrupted the… Continue reading Sustaining the crafts and craftspeople in COVID era
In the blistering afternoon heat of Lucknow, a handcart stands sheltered under a tree. The handcart supports a two-burner stove, attached to a gas cylinder balanced on the pavement. On the stove is a tin kettle, a vessel of milk and half a dozen glasses. This small set-up belongs to Shankar Yadav, who has… Continue reading People of Bharat: Shankar Yadav, Lucknow