Will the mindset change?

"When women move forward, the family moves, the village moves, and ultimately the nation moves;" said the first prime minister of India Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. Have women in India really moved forward? The politicians would say yes, they have moved forward.

Whether it is the narrow lanes of Uttar Pradesh or remote areas of Andhra Pradesh or any other state for that matter you can see small self-help groups running business. Try to ask some probing questions, they will reel out statistics of how benevolent the government has been and how they were giving more funds than their predecessor Government to their "Akkas or Chelliammas". (Elder and younger sisters).

But the real question is have we really succeeded in making the concept of SHGs grow into major business enterprises? Did they achieve their entrepreneurial dreams? The answer would be a big No.

Many women did prove that they are better entrepreneurs then their male counterparts. But governments across the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari view them more as vote banks and have done nothing to giving the kind of handholding, technology upgradation or skill development and they did not create necessary marketing potential.

All governments feel that allocating some money in the budget giving it with great fanfare in the names of the Chief Ministers of the day is a great achievement. Women in rural areas, especially, are a potential goldmine when it comes to entrepreneurship and must be encouraged through skilling and handholding.

Women SHGs have proved that they can use capital and labour in a more efficient manner than men. But unless the government takes the initiative to encourage and see that these micro enterprises grow, we cannot claim that women in this country had really moved forward.

We are living in a system where even when women who get elected as public representatives by the virtue of the reservations the Constitution has provided are not allowed to work independently by their husbands and the top leadership of the parties. For political gains, some of them get into top positions like Home Minister or Deputy Chief Minister but they are given no powers to function independently.

Indian economy needs a thriving MSME sector along with a coordinated effort from the policymakers, associations, and the family members so that women can play significant role in giving a new dimension to Indian industrial sector. India women need to be exposed to the same opportunities as men.

A lot of change must be brought in for women to make significant impact in the field of entrepreneurship. Mindsets cannot change overnight. Women must consciously learn to be more aggressive, more vocal and venture out of their comfort zones. Of course, they cannot do it on their own. They need the support of investors, educators and other organisations that will promote them.

At the same time a lot of change has also to be brought in the mind sets of men, particularly the law makers. Minds of the men cannot change so easily. These days it has become a fashion for all whether it be the people in power or the officials including some top civil and police officials to claim that they are number one in the country.

How can everyone be number one is something which the common fails to understand. Our CMs and PM need to explain. First and foremost, the law makers should learn to see women also as human resources. Men should come out from an environment where they tend to discourage women and extend necessary family support. Many women have strong entrepreneurial ambitions. Greater political will should be shown to augment their motivation and empower them.

The political executive should stop treating women groups as vote banks and should come up with better and more honourable solutions to see that women can overcome the key challenges in converting their start-up companies into profitable units. The problems they mostly face is regarding generating funds and marketing their products. If we fail to harness the potential of women, then what Nehru said will remain a slogan which the politicians will repeat on every Women's Day.