Empowering Rural Startups Key To Reversing Migration: Experts

Handholding and mentoring rural startups on government schemes and funding, establishing district-level incubation centers, and building social infrastructure in rural areas are key to driving economic transformation at the grassroots and reversing migration from cities to villages, say to industry experts.

One of the reasons behind migration taking place from rural to urban areas is for seeking livelihood and jobs. To reverse this migration, Government of India and the State governments are now concentrating on creating livelihood in rural India. However, there is a disparity that needs to be corrected, Advisor to chief minister of Tripura, Tribal Development Mission, Capt Bobby Ajmera told Bizz Buzz.

Speaking on the sidelines of a roundtable on Rural Economy at International Startup Festival 2024, she said, “The mistake happening here is that policies are being framed on their experiences. Private NGO’s are operating at their personal interest bringing in conflict of interest due to which many Central schemes are not soaring. The need of the hour is to identify and regularise these private organisations.”

Suggesting the government, she said that one policy does not fit all the frames as each district in the country has its natural resource, technical transfer facility and resource capacity building. “Firstly, we have to identify people who want to be entrepreneurs and their area of interest. Then platforms like International Startup foundation can help them in forward and backward linkage, mentoring, handholding, upskilling. Simultaneously, incubation centres have to be set up at every district, and a channel has to be created to make entrepreneurs aware about the funds that are lying without being used.”

Another factor behind driving reverse migration is developing social and economic infrastructure, says Sidharth Tripathy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, SRM University Andhra Pradesh. This will bring economic transformation in rural India, he further adds, “Reverse migration from urban to rural will take place when we are able to simulate the environment and lifestyle we have in urban areas. Every village needs to have a play school, elder care, and engagement for young children. All of this put together creates rural economy and upward migration. We have to strengthen local entrepreneurship, and create opportunities so that reverse migration becomes attractive for the urban population to look beyond the roots. A sustainable and replicable model is local produce and local entrepreneurs.”

JA Chowdary, the Chairperson of ISF, stressed on focusing on rural India, as it accounts for 65 per cent of the country’s population but it contributes only 46 per cent of the national income and is growing at about 10 per cent annually. He concluded by saying, “Unique set of problems at the grassroot level can be effectively solved by disruptive use of technology. Solutions for the problems in rural India can play a pivotal role in transforming the lives of the majority of the population, and help connect them with the rapidly growing economy of the country.”

The International Startup Foundation (ISF), not-for-profit organisation will be conducting ‘Ankura Yatra’ in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other States wherein teams of CXOs, Mentors, VCs and Angels will travel to the rural areas and reach out to the innovators for understanding the potential of their solutions, help them grow and expand.