PMINDIA

Jai Jagannath !

Jai Ma Samaleswari!

Greetings to brothers and sisters of Odisha

May the New Year be propitious to all!

Hon’ble Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal ji of Odisha, Chief Minister and my friend Shri Naveen Patnaik ji, my colleagues in the Union Cabinet, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank ji, Odisha’s gem Bhai Dharmendra Pradhan ji and Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi ji, ministers of Government of Odisha, MPs and MLAs, Chairperson of IIM Sambalpur, Smt. Arundhati Bhattacharya, Director Professor Mahadeo Jaiswal ji, faculty staff and all my young colleagues!

Today, with the laying of the foundation stone of IIM campus, a new stone has also been laid to give new vigour to the youth potential of Odisha. IIM Sambalpur’s permanent campus is going to give Odisha a new identity in the world of management along with the great culture and resources of Odisha. This launch at the beginning of the New Year has doubled our happiness.

Friends,

In the last few decades, the country has seen a trend; a large number of multi-nationals came here and grew from this land. This decade and the century belong to the creation of new multi-nationals in India. This is the best period for India to showcase its potential in the world. Today’s Start-ups are the multi-nationals of tomorrow. And in which cities these Start-ups are mostly coming up? The influence of these Start-ups can be seen in the cities which we usually call Tier-2 or Tier-3 cities. Best managers are needed to take forward these Start-ups, the new companies formed by the Indian youth. The management experts who are emerging from the new regions of the country and with new experiences will play a big role in giving new heights to Indian companies.

Friends,

I was reading somewhere that India has created more Unicorns this year than in previous years despite the COVID crisis. Today, the scope for Start-ups is constantly increasing due to the unprecedented reforms that are being carried out in the fields from agriculture to the space sector. You have to prepare yourself for these new possibilities. You have to align your career with India’s hopes and expectations. The responsibility to provide a new global identity to the Brand India is on all of us, especially on our youngsters.

Friends,

IIM Sambalpur’s mission mantra is नवसर्जनम् शुचिता समावेशत्वम्। i.e., Innovation, Integrity and Inclusiveness. You have to display your management skills to the country with the power of this mantra. Not only do you have to encourage new set-ups, but to emphasize inclusiveness; you have to take along with all who have been left behind in the race of development. The place where IIM’s permanent campus is being built already has a medical university, an engineering university, three more universities, Sainik School and training institutes for CRPF and police. Those who do not know much about Sambalpur can now imagine how big an education hub the region is going to become after the establishment of a prestigious institution like IIM. The most important thing for IIM Sambalpur and students and professionals studying here would be that the entire area is like a practical lab for you in a way. Nature wise, this place is so majestic, Odisha’s glory – the Hirakud Dam – is not far away from you. The Debrigarh Sanctuary near the dam is special in itself, and there is also a sacred place in the middle of it where Veer Surendra Sai ji built his base. In order to further enhance the tourism potential of this area, the students ‘ ideas and managerial skills can be very handy. Similarly, Sambalpuri textiles are also famous in the country and abroad. The Bandha-Ikat fabric and its unique pattern, design and texture are very special. Similarly, there is so much work of handicrafts in this area, silver filigree, stone carving, woodwork, brass work, and our tribal brothers and sisters are also very well versed in it. It is an important responsibility for IIM students to make vocal the local products of Sambalpur.

Friends,

You also know very well that Sambalpur and its adjoining areas are also known for their mineral and mining strength. High-grade iron ore, bauxite, chromite, manganese, coal limestone to gold, gemstone, and diamond etc increase the natural wealth here manifold. You also have to work on new ideas as to how to ensure better management of these natural assets of the country and how to develop the entire region and develop people.

Friends,

I have given you only a few examples. What is not there in Odisha — the forest wealth, minerals, Rangabati music, tribal art and craft and the poems of the poet of nature Gangadhar Meher? When many of you colleagues will use your skills to give a global identity to Sambalpuri textile or Cuttack’s filigree and work to enhance tourism here, it will give a new impetus and new heights to not only the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign but to the overall development of Odisha as well.

Friends,

All the young colleagues of IIM have to discover new and innovative solutions to make the local products global. I am confident that our IIMs can work as a bridge between local products and international collaboration towards the country’s self-reliant mission. The huge alumni network of yours which is spread across every nook and corner of the world can also help a lot in this. We had 13 IIMs till 2014. Now there are 20 IIM in the country. Such a huge pool of talent can supplement the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign.

Friends,

If there are new opportunities in the world, the challenges in front of the world of management are also new. You also have to understand these challenges. For example, the additive printing or 3D printing is changing the entire production economy. You may have heard in the news, a company designed 3D print of an entire two-storey building near Chennai last month. The logistics and supply chain arrangements will also change with the changes in the methods of production. Similarly, technology is eliminating every geographical limitation today. If the air connectivity made the 20th century business seamless, the digital connectivity is going to transform the 21st century business. The entire world has changed from global village to global workplace with the concept of work from anywhere. India has also made all the necessary reforms in this regard in the past few months. Our endeavour is to not only walk with time but also walk ahead of time.

Friends,

With the change in work methods, the demand for management skills is also changing. Now is the time for collaborative, innovative and transformative management instead of top down or top heavy management. These collaborations are important for peers, but bots and algorithms are also now with us as team members. Therefore, if more human management is required today, the more technological management is equally necessary. I would also urge you, the IIMs across the country and other business management schools. How the country worked in the spirit of technology and teamwork in this entire period of corona infections, how steps were taken to protect the 130 crore countrymen, responsibilities taken, collaborations done and a public participation campaign was carried out. There should be research on all these subjects and documents should be prepared. How does a country of 130 crore people innovate from time to time? How India expanded capacity and capability in a very short time? There is a great lesson for management. The country has found the permanent solution of PPE kits, masks and ventilators during COVID.

Friends,

We had a tradition to adopt a short term approach for problem solving. The country has now come out of that mindset. Now our emphasis is on long term solutions beyond immediate needs. And one can learn a very good lesson of management in this. Arundhati ji is present among us. She has been witness to the whole process of the kind of planning, implementation and management which was done for Jan Dhan accounts for the poor in the country because she was in-charge of the bank at that time. It is not easy to open bank accounts of more than 40 crore poor who have never ever been to the bank. And, why I am telling you these things because management does not mean handling only big companies. The real meaning of the management for a country like India is to handle lives in the true sense. I give you another example and this is important because the prodigy of Odisha, Dharmendra Pradhan ji, has played a big role in it.

Friends,

In our country, cooking gas had come after nearly 10 years of independence. But in later decades, cooking gas became a luxury. It became the prestige of the rich people. People had to make so many rounds for a gas connection, and yet they did not get it. The situation was such that the coverage of LPG in the country was only 55 percent till 2014, six years ago. This is what happens when there is no sense of permanent solution in the approach. LPG coverage is only 55 percent in 60 years! If the country were to move at this speed, half of this century would have passed in ensuring gas connections to everybody. After our government was formed in 2014, we decided that there should be a permanent solution. Do you know what the gas coverage in the country is today? More than 98 percent! And all of you involved in management here know that it is easier to move a little bit by starting something new. The real challenge is to make the coverage hundred percent.

Friends,

The question is then how did we achieve this? This is a very good case study for management peers like you.

Friends,

We put the problem on one side and put the permanent solution on another. The challenge was regarding new distributors. We commissioned 10,000 new gas distributors. The challenge was the bottling plant capacity. We installed new bottling plants across the country, enhancing the capacity of the country. The challenge was the Import Terminal Capacity. We corrected it also. The challenge was the pipe-line capacity. We spent thousands of crores of rupees on this also and we are doing it even today. The challenge was the selection of poor beneficiaries. We also did it with full transparency, especially by launching the Ujjwala Yojana.

Friends,

This is the result of finding the permanent solution that there are more than 28 crore gas connections in the country today. There were 14 crore gas connections in the country before 2014. Think about it, 14 crore gas connections in 60 years! We have given more than 14 crore gas connections in the country in the last six years. Now people don’t have to run and make rounds for cooking gas. In Odisha also, about 50 lakh poor families have got gas connections under the Ujjwala Yojana. It is due to the capacity building under this scheme in the country that the city gas distribution network is underway in 19 districts of Odisha.

Friends,

I also explained to you these examples because as much as you connect with the requirements of the country and understand the challenges of the country, you will become good managers and will be able to give the best solutions. I think it is necessary for higher education institutions not only to be focused on their expertise, but to widen their scope. The students who come there have a big role to play in it. The new National Education Policy emphasizes a broad based, multi-disciplinary and holistic approach. Efforts are being made to remove the silos that came in the way of professional education. We want to bring everyone into the mainstream for the development of the nation. This is also inclusive nature. I’m sure you’ll realize this vision. Yours and IIM Sambalpur’s efforts will realize the campaign of self-reliant India. With these good wishes, thank you very much. Namaskar!