‘Think big’: DICCI’s Milind Kamble says no power can pull back those with strong willpower to pursue their goals

Q: Can you specify any key sectors?
Milind Kamble: With more than 150 countries participating, the World Economic Forum in Switzerland (Davos) was an eye-opener for me. I got a glimpse of what’s happening on the economic front world wise, how the industry captains and CEOs are thinking, what their roadmap is like. For instance, the buzz was on artificial intelligence, innovation, data centres… Another segment that was discussed at length related to green and sustainable businesses. The renewable energy component was difficult to skip. So, the world over, businesses have moved beyond conventional models.

Q: What is the message that you want to convey to Dalit entrepreneurs after the Davos tour?
Milind Kamble: Think big. If there is one lesson that I have learnt from there is to unshackle the barriers that bound you and move ahead. You have to think big. The sky is the limit.

Q: How realistic is it for a Dalit entrepreneur to realise the dream in a highly polarised society divided on caste lines?
Milind Kamble: I am eternally optimistic. I believe that no power can pull back those who have strong willpower to pursue their goals. In DICCI, we have more than a hundred entrepreneurs with success stories. They have achieved an annual turnover of more than Rs 100 crore. Most of them were first-generation entrepreneurs whose life was a struggle for survival. So, all these talks of discrimination and socio-politics become redundant when you single-mindedly pursue your roadmap. For those who don’t want to do it, there will be hundreds of excuses. I want the youth to believe in themselves and take the world by storm.

Q: Can you do this without socio-political support?
Milind Kamble: The Dalit community, which was subjected to oppression for centuries, is a politically awakened community. Already, Dr B R Ambedkar has instilled in them the importance of education and fundamental rights through a robust Constitution. Now, they have to work on economic empowerment. To achieve this, every potential Dalit individual should dream big. Exploit the opportunities to advantage. At DICCI, we always tell newcomers to strive to become job givers, not jobseekers.

Q: Is the threat to the Constitution real?
Milind Kamble: Nobody can touch the Indian Constitution. I don’t want to talk about politics. As that’s not my forte, my focus is on the economic empowerment of SC/STs. Through DICCI, we work towards that objective collectively.

Q: After attending the Davos conclave, what course corrections would you suggest in DICCI?
Milind Kamble: When DICCI was set up in 2005, I believed that youths who are willing to venture into businesses, big or small, should have access to a forum that could guide them properly. With our expertise and experience, we provide them direction and access to financial institutions to mop up capital, funds, etc. We do handholding and lead promising entrepreneurs belonging to backward communities to their destinations.

Q: Is the Government supportive?
Milind Kamble: We are closely working with both the Centre and the state governments. We had drafted our model, which they incorporated into their economic policies. There are 11 crore SC/ST youth entrepreneurs availing of institutional support and DICCI’s handholding. The Startup India and Stand-up India schemes are gaining greater acceptance and helping SC/ST entrepreneurs. The reforms in public procurement policy for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) were a step forward. As per the 2012 order, the central ministry/department/PSU set an annual goal of 25 per cent procurement from the MSME sector, with 4 per cent reserved for MSMEs owned by SC/ST and 3 per cent for women entrepreneurs. This was voluntary: from 2012 to 2015. But it was made mandatory in April 2015. This preferential policy facilitates annual purchases of around Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 crore from SC/ST enterprises. In the past, procurement stagnated below Rs 100 crore.

Q: There are questions about how much of this is enforced.
Milind Kamble: To maximise the policy benefits, sustained effort is required. So, you have to keep pursuing it. But it has certainly helped the SC/ST entrepreneurs. The statistics are telling. The procurement from SC/ST MSMEs has seen a visible rise, from Rs 824 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 1,070 crore in 2021-22, Rs 1,546.86 crore in 2022-23, Rs 1,649.83 crore in 2023-24, and reaching Rs 3,561.49 crore in 2024-25. More than 56,000 SC/ST entrepreneurs have registered on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal.
With access to capital, SC/ST entrepreneurs have access to finances from Rs 50,000 to Rs 15 crore under various schemes, which boost their business drive. Take the example of the Mudra Yojana, which offers Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh without collateral. It has helped 45 crore SC/STs. Similarly, under the Stand-Up India scheme, 70,000 SC/ST youths have benefited.
We also closely work with the National SC/ST Hub, under the Ministry of MSMEs, to help professional SC/ST entrepreneurs. Fifteen business facilitation centres (BFCs) have been established nationwide to help vendors, PSUs, etc.