If you think of agriculture, the first state that comes to mind is Punjab but for knowledge-driven pursuits, the southern states always score above the rest. Till the mid 90’s, Punjab was ranked on top in terms of per capita income but subsequently, we lost that position. To regain that, the state definitely needs new drivers for growth like innovation and investments in technology. When I talk of technology intervention in enterprises, it does not necessarily have to be high-tech but on the grassroot level as small tech interventions can create a huge difference. Technology gaps have to articulated well and the state will give mandate to the universities to address that. We are also trying to develop a dedicated potal called ‘Innovate Central’ where enterprises can put forth their problems so that they can be addressed by technical experts. These can be later picked up by reasearchers and start-ups to work on.
DR JATINDER KAUR ARORA, Executive Director, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology, Government of Punjab
We started in 2015 and were the first ones in the world to start selling water pumps online. We are the first e-commerce company to sell and serve. Entrepreneur is a person who dreams big, never gives up and always takes risks. I failed in my first year of engineering and failed in my first venture too. An entrepreneur can never be satisfied even if they are successful. Amazon and Flipkart are customer-friendly but we are vendor-friendly. The future lies in digital distribution and in ‘phygital’. Modern retail-like Croma, Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop are growing at a rapid pace. People want to visit multibrand stores. You will become the king if you start providing services in modern retail.
K S BHATIA Co-founder & CEO, Pumpkart.com
HOW TO LEAD YOUR COMPANY TO GROWTH
This story is from the February 2020 edition of Entrepreneur magazine.
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This story is from the February 2020 edition of Entrepreneur magazine.
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