Pawan Jamre, a 20-year-old youth from Chitawal village in Barwani district, Madhya Pradesh, remains shy and low-profile. However, he now exudes self-confidence and ambition, a stark contrast to the challenges he faced growing up in poverty.
Jamre hails from a family with a small landholding, and his parents and brother rely on agriculture for their livelihood. Due to their poor economic situation, he was unable to pursue education beyond class 8. Instead, he found employment as a daily wage labourer at a nearby electronics shop, earning a meagre income of Rs 150-200 per day.
Things took a turn in Jamre’s life when Suman Solanki, a youth fellow with Transform Rural India, noticed his sincerity and hard work during her visit to his area. After interacting with him for some time, she realised that he was being paid less for his efforts.
She also noticed his deep interest in the field of electronics and gadgets and advised him to attend a mobile phone repairing training programme at the government-run Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) at Barwani. Solanki also helped him enrol in the programme.
The beginning
Upon finishing his training at RSETI, Jamre developed a strong inclination towards establishing his own business. With the assistance of his family and friends, he managed to gather some funds to launch his mobile phone repair venture. His shop gained momentum quickly, attracting the attention of numerous local residents who expressed interest in his services.
However, after some time, Jamre realised that he lacked business acumen and needed help in enhancing related skills. He also required financial support to purchase some basic necessities for his shop and to further expand his business.
Jamre approached the enterprise facilitation hub at Julwania, Barwani, for assistance in these areas. He was guided to attend the Accelerated Entrepreneurship Development Program (AEDP) to improve his business-related knowledge. He was also assured financial support to expand his business.
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AEDP is a 10-day training programme developed with Tata Strive. Also known as mini-MBA, the training is based on 5-P factors – product, place, price, people and promotion. It is filled with a number of activities for better understanding and real-world knowledge of the business concepts. The training module covers everything from business idea generation to the sustainability of enterprises.
Jamre soon became an alumnus of the inaugural batch of the AEDP training program in Barwani. He displayed great attentiveness throughout the course, actively engaging in various activities. Moreover, he generously shared his personal experiences with fellow participants, aiding their understanding of the concepts. This training programme helped him enhance his business-related knowledge, which he utilised to grow his business.
Future plans
During the AEDP training, Jamre prepared his business plan for the next three years all by himself. As per his targets, he needed a loan of Rs 60,000 to expand his business. Initially, Solanki helped him apply for a loan under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, but his application was not accepted since he didn’t meet some of the bank’s criteria. Later on, he was guided to apply for a loan through the app of Rang De, a social investment platform wherein social investors directly invest money in small rural enterprises. Within a week, the loan was disbursed to his account.
Now, Jamre’s enterprise is well-established and recognised among the local people due to its strategic location and positive image among customers. He has also started accepting digital payments.
Looking at the increasing demand for his services, he plans to employ a helping hand. He is also planning to sell new phones at his shop, but for that he wants to repay the existing loan first so that he can easily take a second business loan.
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The lead image at the top shows Pawan Jamre at work at his mobile phone repairing shop (Photo by Ranu Kumar Singh)
Ranu Kumar Singh & Annu Shree Tiwari are practitioners with Transforming Rural India Foundation in Barwani.
