Barriers in "Make in India"

Make in India, Digital India and Swachh Bharat is a commendable effort by our honorable Prime Minister. Dreams of our visionary Prime Minister can be achieved only when it becomes the dream of every Indian. To achieve this important task, the first step is to change the mindset of the officials on the ground. Their thinking has to become Swachh. The attitude of Govt. Machinery has to change from finding fault/ penalizing /harassing and demanding bribe (from even a genuine person) has to change to support, service and guidance. Normally I hate writing a negative post but this is my first-hand experience and I am sure many of the businesses have similar stories to share:

• I am an Alumni of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Bangalore. I have a manufacturing plant at Hosur, Tamilnadu to produce greenhouses, net houses and tunnels which is a life changing concept for the Indian farmers. I have spent 20 years of my life to introduce new technologies to India and this factory has all Israeli Knowhow.
•  Our job is to execute projects for the farmers and make a positive impact on their Income levels.
• Project supply is done in parts and is invoiced at full CST of 5 %. So there is no revenue loss as far as Govt. is concerned. However, the invoice value is mostly more than 15 lakhs rupees.
• The first sales tax check post is coming on Tamilnadu/Karnataka border and is called Attibel.
• Many a times inspite of all the genuine documentations our vehicles are stopped and we or other directors are called in the middle of the night to come to the check post with the single objective to negotiate the bribe.
• They also doubt that what if the person who receives will not sell inspite of papers proving that the receiving party is a farmer.
• After seeing the higher invoice value and perfect documents they expect some bribe.
• They actually demand that if the invoice value is more than 15 lakhs why they could not get 3000 Rupees as a bribe?
• The sales tax officer on the check post even have the audacity to tell our staff that they were on day 15th day of the month and they had a monthly target to collect is Rs. 15 lakhs.

Why for these people it’s not “country first”?

Why officials don’t co-operate and encourage genuine companies?

Why the attitude is not to support but to extract and harass?

We work so hard, take all the business risks, struggle not only to change lives of Indian farmers but uplift their income and status?  But someone wants easy money only for their nuisance value? Who is paying the bribe? Is it the business owner or in-fact the farmers??

This is just one example, I am sure many of you face similar stories in your life and business. If your answer is year share this article so much that it reaches the concerned?

Is anyone listening??