The idea of setting up MSMEs alongside the national highways or large roads would definitely create huge employment opportunities for the rural youths who rush to towns for bread-winning. If this dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes true, and there is no reason why this cannot be politically supported even by his opponents, a number of advantages would bolster onwards cascading development paradigm in the country.

First, it would develop a tertiary economy creating good number of jobs in villages. Second, the mission of skills development would be the morale boosting factor for technical institutes to groom rural youths. Third, the 100 days’ compulsion of job creation in villages would be more successful ventures than what is at present, as the emergent tertiary economy would be requiring more new hands for support. The fourth and the most important advantage would be environmental.

People would run much less in number to cities and towns. Crowding the cities and small towns, creating pressures on their existing civic amenities, creating slums and thus destroying the hygienic ecosystem in urban habitation, — all not only develop chaotic socio-cultural side-effects, these make the young rural youths vulnerable to diseases and a slew of law and order maladies, ill-education, failure in value systems, and breaking of families.

Prime Minister is a great aspirator. There is no doubt in it. The challenge is : How can it be made feasible? And what would be the targeted time? This is, therefore, the big question the government should be immediately faced with. It already started dogging the people who are supposed to implement the government’s plans through the Land Acquisition Bill. For the first time, one feels it is the challenge India has to take on with all determination.

Enigma lies within our socio-political system. People have not really changed with the government, through the hustings. The bureaucracy, officials functionaries in government offices, and the old veteran entrepreneurs retain almost the similar mindset. It is the mindset of checks and balances, and that of persecution and distrust. Can the Prime Minister’s ambition, and also of this partisan-driven nation, be realized?

For MSMEs to be the reality on both sides of the national highways through the Land Acquisition Bill, setting up of the units would be a time-consuming affairs, particularly and firstly, because of lack of electricity, and secondly, due to the huge requirement of quality management of law and order. This would be the enigma in almost all states along the national highways.

Electricity being the vital input for production, its availability even through the national grid services would be another problem the government would be required to handle. Many states are notoriously at default in paying off for the power they have already procured over the years from the national grids. The SEBs, which are supposed to be the suppliers in the MSME schemes, suffer chronically from paucity of funds. It is a hard challenge.

Imagine a scenario in which the MSME units are being set up one after another throughout the stretch of the acquired lands on both sides of the national highways, as the projects would demand to keep pace with the Prime Minister’s vision.

The states would be required to provide electricity and water equally fast in pace of action. The state governments and their police would be duty-bound to ensure fool-proof law and order, eradicating any chance of highway robberies, road rages or instituting quality traffic discipline. Also, the states would have to cooperate with the projects as per the charted visionary path. With assured supplies of electricity and water to the MSME’s units, opportunities of construction of cold storages for crop preservation in blocks would be a natural gain. Wastage or rotting up of food crops in villages would come to an end, ensuring better food security.

An important priority area would be training of the rural youths on various skills — both in manufacturing as well as service sectors. The production has to be generated as a thrust area, supported by services — such as packaging, outreaching, marketing, accounting, auditing, food-processing techniques, etc. Each of these areas are skills-driven, which the ITIs do not train or teach, nor are adequately equipped.

Many professional schools and institutes would be required to impart the skills training to the rural youths. This in turn would draw talents from towns and cities. The Great Indian Ambition can be a Reality per excellence.

The Land Acquisition Bill, with some amendments, can be an augury for a great development revolution in the country, provided it spells the right perspectives. (IPA Service)