Startup

Disability rights activist Pavan Muntha bats for an inclusive rural society centred around natural farming

Published

20 hours ago

December 3, 2024

admin

Born into an upper middle-class family, Pavan Kumar Muntha faced an internal battle accepting his visual disability.

“I was always trying to prove myself, competing with others, and yet grappling with the stigma attached to being disabled,” recalls Muntha, who lives in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.

This perspective shifted when he participated in a groundbreaking World Bank-funded study on the lives of disabled people in rural Andhra Pradesh.

During the course of this study, an incident in Warangal (now part of Telangana) changed his outlook forever. While meeting a young woman with a severe disability, Muntha was struck by the systemic neglect she had endured all her life.

Muntha says, “She was so malnourished that she crawled around the house and looked like she was 14 years old, when in fact her grandmother revealed to us later that she was 24. Burdened as the sole caregiver for this young woman, her grandmother told us why she delayed eating or ate less.

“She said, ‘If she eats and drinks, she’ll need to use the toilet, and I must carry her there. Without a ramp or water nearby, this becomes impossible.’”

This experience catalysed his resolve to address disability not merely as an individual struggle but also as a systemic failure rooted in socioeconomic inequities. Muntha began to understand disability from the point of view of structural barriers, and not just as an individual impairment.

This experience marked the beginning of his journey into advocacy, integrating personal insight with a systemic critique that addressed barriers holistically, encompassing education, employment, and infrastructure for people with disabilities in rural areas.

Fighting resistance and building alliances

As Muntha began advocating for disability inclusion, resistance from society was inevitable. In rural Andhra Pradesh, he encountered communities that were hesitant to embrace disabled individuals as equal participants in society.

“We had to strategically address this resistance by building alliances with policy makers, community and civil society organisations, families of persons with disabilities, and disability organisations.”

Muntha reached a milestone in his journey when he persuaded the Andhra Pradesh government to integrate disabled individuals into the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) programme. Through persistent dialogue and innovative recommendations, he convinced authorities to hire programme officers dedicated to assigning suitable work to disabled individuals.

“We created disability self-help groups and demonstrated that marginalised individuals could work effectively in agriculture and infrastructure projects,” Muntha shares.

Between 2007 and 2009, this initiative employed over 2.5 lakh people with varying disabilities across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, setting a precedent for inclusive employment policies in the country.

A call for systemic change

Along with disability advocacy, Muntha also worked towards a broader push for social reform.

“We proved that people with disabilities could contribute significantly to infrastructure and agriculture projects,” he says.

Muntha’s interactions with rural grassroots communities brought him face-to-face with the alarming issue of farmer suicides.

Farmer suicides were not isolated but symptomatic of systemic exploitation. Private moneylenders charged exorbitant interest rates, leaving farmers unable to recover from failed crops. During the 1990s, when discussions around globalisation and privatisation were intensifying, governments started advocating for industrialisation and reduced reliance on agriculture.

This shift, compounded by the introduction of Bt cotton and genetically modified seeds, impacted small farmers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, says Muntha.

“Monocropping promoted during the Green Revolution and corporate agriculture exacerbated vulnerabilities, eroding biodiversity and making farmers dependent on costly inputs,” he adds.

Muntha campaigned for employing people with disabilities in the farming sector as part of rural employment schemes. He also pushed for policies addressing debt and land rights.

By engaging with policymakers and grassroots organisations, he highlighted the need to rethink agriculture and not look at it as a failing profession but as a cornerstone of rural livelihoods.

The turn to natural farming

The intersection of the issues of disability, poverty, and environmental degradation led Muntha to venture into natural farming.

In 2011, he relocated to a Dalit-majority village in Andhra Pradesh, where he began experimenting with sustainable farming practices.

His goal was not only to address the agricultural crisis—exacerbated by monocropping and heavy use of chemicals—but also to empower marginalised Dalit and tribal communities, including those with disabilities.

Natural farming, as pioneered by agriculturist Subhash Palekar, offered solutions. Muntha adopted techniques such as using cow dung and urine for fertilisation, line sowing, and multi-cropping to promote biodiversity.

His efforts culminated in a landmark three-day workshop in Visakhapatnam in 2015, which brought together over 8,000 farmers and policymakers. Muntha, with the support of state officials, showcased the potential of natural farming as an alternative to conventional methods.

Muntha has always recognised the interconnectedness of environmental sustainability, disability rights, and rural development.

“Farming is not just a profession; it’s a culture and a way of life, especially for rural communities,” he explains.

By including disabled individuals in agricultural practices, Muntha envisions an inclusive future where marginalised groups can achieve economic independence, self-sufficiency, and dignity.

Muntha redefined agriculture in Andhra Pradesh by roping in farmers with disabilities into the practice of natural farming. He believes that many disabled people in rural areas possess agricultural knowledge inherited from their families, which can be complemented with modern sustainable techniques.

Recognising the value of indigenous farming practices and the people’s potential, he highlighted their ability to contribute significantly to sustainable agriculture.

The agricultural practices adopted by Muntha are designed to minimise physical strain, thus making the work more accessible to farmers with disabilities.

By promoting crop architecture and relay sowing, Muntha’s system ensures continuous harvest and income, with minimal disruption to the soil, making it easier for people with disabilities to participate actively in farming.

Muntha began to engage not only farmers with disabilities but also their families, using their skills and understanding of agriculture.

He also introduced the multi-cropping model, where five main crops are planted alongside 20 biodiversity crops, ensuring sustainability and biodiversity.

According to Muntha, this method creates a natural ecosystem with plants that rely on each other for nutrient intake and encourages the use of animals, birds, and insects to maintain soil health and pest control.

“Additionally, methods like pre-monsoon dry sowing and relay cropping enable continuous farming without soil tilling, thus ensuring year-round productivity,” he says.

Muntha emphasises on hands-on training, equipping farmers with disabilities with practical skills to manage irrigation, pest control, and crop architecture.

Integrating with the ecosystem

Involving people with disabilities in farming not only provides them a livelihood but also integrates their skills into the agricultural ecosystem.

From seed palletisation to creating nutrient-rich soil through natural processes, these farmers are active participants in many areas of sustainable farming, contributing to yields that generate incomes of ₹50,000 to ₹1.5 lakh per month, even in low-rainfall regions like Anantapur.

Additionally, visually impaired individuals are trained in sensory farming techniques, such as recognising soil quality and crop health through touch and smell, enabling them to play active roles in farm maintenance.

Encouraging collective farming among disabled individuals ensures responsibilities are shared and physical strain is reduced. These groups produce organic crops that fetch premium prices in the markets, bypassing exploitative middlemen.

A vision for the future

Today, Muntha works as the senior programme manager at Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a community-managed natural farming programme run by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh. He is also the executive secretary of Swadhikaar Center for Disabilities Information, Research and Resource Development, which focuses on grassroots advocacy and sustainable development.

By bringing together disability advocacy, rural development, and natural farming, Muntha has created a model of resilience and inclusion. His work underscores the power of systemic change driven by lived experience and grassroots action.

Muntha’s journey, from documenting the harrowing realities of rural India to transforming agricultural practices, offers a blueprint for a more equitable and sustainable future centred around natural farming.

Muntha sums it up well.

“Natural farming is more of a practice than theory. So we tell our farmers to practise and learn and learn by practising. This isn’t just about farming; it is a holistic approach that connects them to the market, and gives them knowledge of market forces.

“We train them to first have enough produce for their own household and then establish their primary market in their villages. The entire system gets stabilised this way.”

Source link

Post Views: 1

Startup

Beyond the Rs 35 crore: Why MapmyIndia’s governance crisis won’t end here

Published

21 minutes ago

December 4, 2024

admin

Even if MapmyIndia gives up its plans to invest ₹35 crore in the business-to-consumer (B2C) venture of its former CEO, market analysts say it won’t wash away the stains on the company’s reputation or fix its deeper governance problems.

The controversy stems from CE Info Systems’ recent exchange filing about its CEO Rohan Verma. According to the filing, Verma would leave MapmyIndia to start a new business-to-consumer (B2C) venture. What caught investors’ attention was the investment structure: CE Info Systems, MapmyIndia’s parent company, would invest in this new venture through two channels—first taking a minority 10% stake for ₹10 lakh, and then providing a much larger investment of ₹35 crore through compulsory convertible debentures (CCDs). This meant Verma would retain 90% ownership of the venture while accessing significant funding from the listed company.

CCDs are a combination of debt and equity that can later be converted into equity shares. They are commonly used by startups seeking capital while maintaining control over equity distribution.

Shriram Subramanian, Founder of proxy advisory firm InGovern Research Services, cuts through to the real issue. “The promoters have misunderstood that the Rs 35-crore investment to support the B2C business is the concern for minority shareholders. On the contrary, it is the 90% promoter ownership of a business that was incubated and will derive all resources from the listed company, that is the concern,” he points out.

He further warns that “investors will always suspect that funds from the listed company will be used on the sly.”

This structure means any profits would benefit the promoter, while the listed company bears the operational costs and risks.

Deepak Shenoy, Founder and CEO of Capitalmind, a SEBI registered portfolio manager, drives home the governance red flag: “The issue is of governance because now shareholders cannot participate in the growth of the consumer business. Therefore, most of the value added that’s created in the consumer business is lost essentially.”

For MapmyIndia, founded in 1995 by husband-wife duo Rakesh Varma and Rashmi Verma, the fallout has been severe. Subramanian delivers a stark assessment: “Reputation and goodwill with investors built over 30 years has now been lost. Investors that consider good governance will not touch the company with a bargepole.”

Market impact

The market’s verdict was clear. CE Info Systems’ shares hit a 52-week low of Rs 1,534 during Tuesday’s trading, before closing at Rs 1538.65 on BSE. The decline extended losses from Monday, following the weekend announcement and subsequent conference call. They were trading at Rs 1,560.75 at 12:20 pm on Wednesday.

During the Monday conference call, the company described its consumer business as a “distraction,” suggesting the separation was intended to protect MapmyIndia’s profit and loss statement from the new venture’s losses. This comes as MapmyIndia reported an 8.2% drop in consolidated net profit at Rs 30.3 crore, despite revenue from operations climbing 14% to Rs 103.7 crore in the quarter ended September 30, 2024.

While Rohan Verma told The Economic Times that he’ll fund the B2C venture himself instead of taking the Rs 35 crore from the parent company, experts say the company’s approach to its consumer business needs rethinking.

Queries sent by YourStory to Rohan Verma were unanswered at the time of publishing this copy.

Alternative solutions

The company’s rationale for separating the B2C business hasn’t convinced investors. Shenoy dismisses the current reasoning as weak and points to the Jio Financial-Reliance model as a better solution: “If you wanted to separate it because it has low margins, you should demerge it and get all shareholders to own a part of it. Those shareholders can then sell those shares whenever they want.”

He elaborates that a demerger would allow the business to develop independently and raise additional capital without impacting the parent company’s margins. “The business can take new hues and not be consolidated with the current business because it is demerged. Therefore, there is no fear that those margins will come and impact the parent company. You will be able to build that business independently and raise more money independently,” he explains.

Subramanian says, “If they wanted to spawn a B2C business it should have been spun off as a 100% subsidiary and external capital raised in that subsidiary.” This structure would ensure the venture remains under CE Info Systems’ control, rather than being primarily owned by Rohan Verma as initially proposed.

He also emphasises accountability: “The board of directors, especially the independent directors, are accountable for signing off on such a structure.”

Source link

Post Views: 0

Startup

Meet the 10 companies that have made an impact in 2024

Published

1 hour ago

December 4, 2024

admin

Economic tides may ebb and flow, but India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is poised for continued growth. Rising digital connectivity and tech investment are set to help India’s startup ecosystem grow 2.6 times by 2030.

Amid new market trends, business challenges, and opportunities, a few companies are emerging as game changers and helping shape tomorrow’s landscape today. Whether it’s through innovation, strong leadership, or delivering what customers need, these 10 companies have stood out in 2024.

The Green Chapter

Founded in 2018 by mother-daughter duo Anchal and Aanvi Jain, The Green Chapter is all about eco-ethical choices and supporting local artisans. It makes sustainability effortless with a range of planet-friendly products. From seed paper notebooks and bamboo travel kits to cork-based office essentials like file folders and yoga mats, every product is crafted with care for the environment. The company’s handmade crochet bookmarks and flower bouquets, created by local artisans, add a personal touch to sustainability. The Green Chapter, which represented India’s eco-friendly collection and sustainable products on a global stage in Milan, also offers zero-waste hotel amenities kits and unique corporate gifting options.

Bordoloi Biotech

Dr Binoy K Bordoloi, Founder of Bordoloi Biotech, is a pioneering scientist and entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in medical devices and pharmaceuticals. He developed HerboJoint (India) and HerboCare (USA), integrating Ayurvedic wisdom with modern science. Bordoloi’s innovations in peritoneal dialysis and wound management have earned multiple patents. He authored Naamghar in America, highlighting the neo-Vaishnavite Guru Sankardeva’s prayer house. His contributions extend to community service, including leadership roles in cultural organisations and philanthropic efforts in Assam and North America.

Cake2homes

Cake2homes, founded by Hemin Shah in 2017, has rapidly grown into one of India’s leading gifting delivery services. Specialising in cakes, flowers, and gifts, the company operates in over 150 cities, offering tailor-made packages for every occasion. Known for its punctuality and exceptional service, Cake2homes fills a significant gap in the market, ensuring timely and high-quality deliveries. From humble beginnings, Shah has navigated the company through challenges, including financial struggles and personal setbacks. Cake2homes, a trusted name among households and corporate clients, has a strong online presence, and continues to make every celebration special.

HSW Embroidery Machines

Founded in 2013, HSW Embroidery Machines is a rising brand in the embroidery industry. An emerging name in India, the company has revolutionised traditional embroidery by transforming intricate, time-consuming handwork into seamless, machine-powered creations with cutting-edge technology. HSW has a presence abroad, and has also impacted global markets. Notably, it has enhanced the lives of over 4,000 women, empowering them to achieve financial independence and better lifestyles. HSW believes in creating “embropreneurs”, combining tradition with technology to transform the embroidery industry with passion and purpose.

Bibliophiles

Bibliophiles is a brand that crafts premium personalised school supplies for children aged 0-7 years. The company’s range includes personalised labels, stationery, apparel accessories, activity kits, and books, all designed with positive parenting principles in mind. Bibliophiles focuses on reducing screen time, fostering empathy, enhancing a sense of belonging, and promoting well-rounded growth in children. Rooted in real parenting insights, its child-safe, practical, and attractive products support meaningful early childhood development. In just one year, Bibliophiles has served over 25,000 customers, built a 5,000-strong mothers’ community, and gained 22,000 followers.

Contetra

Contetra Private Ltd, led by ex-Big 4 consultants, specialises in finance transformation for MSMEs and mid-size companies. The services it offers include ERP consulting for successful implementation and ROI optimisation (ERPNext, Odoo, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft), virtual CFO services to drive MSME growth with real-time performance insights, GAAP Advisory for IFRS/Ind AS/US GAAP compliance, process excellence to streamline MIS and AR/AP cycles, and upskilling and resourcing to empower finance teams.

Rangreli

Started in 2015 by Prashant Sharma and Kumarika Singh, Rangreli has grown into a beloved home decor brand that is celebrated for its artistic nameplates for homes and offices. The catalogue, which blends functionality with artistry, includes a stunning range of lamps, wall art. and serve ware. Rangreli aims to be an A-to-Z solution for home decor and custom gifting. From hand-painted nameplates and Pichwai-inspired wall art, to table lamps and serve ware, it transforms homes into artistic havens. With 20,000+ loyal customers, Rangreli has thrived through its D2C model and makes handcrafted elegance widely accessible.

Teachnook

Kajal Dave, Co-founder, Teachnook, began her journey in Amsterdam, where she completed her master’s in business. Driven by a vision to provide quality education at minimal costs, she explored online education with Teachnook. Over three years, she has scaled Teachnook’s operations, achieving remarkable revenue growth and establishing a thriving workforce. Now, with her new venture, Launch Ed, Dave is revolutionising the e-learning world by introducing cutting-edge initiative programmes like SaaS career training, global internships, and research paper mentorship, pioneering paths that redefine what online learning can achieve.

Xtraminds Digital Solution Ltd

Mamta Kumari is a serial entrepreneur and digital marketing strategist with a proven track record. Currently, as Co-founder and marketing head of Xtraminds Digital Solution Ltd, she helps her clients devise effective digital marketing strategies for growth. She believes that “nothing matters more than the ROI” for her clients, and she has helped D2C and B2B clients from India, the US, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East grow their sales by 10X. A Delhi University graduate with 9 years of experience, she has founded and led marketing for companies such as Keeto and Twofold IT Solution.

Eewa Farms

Eewa Farms was born out of Founder Saurabh Arora’s deep concern for the chemicals in our food and groundwater contamination. Disturbed by these realities, and after 20+ years in the corporate world, he set out to bring professionalism and purpose to farming. Drawing from a decade of exploring sustainability and visiting 70+ farms, he built a venture focused on residue-free, nutritious produce through hydroponics. With strong family support and a dedicated team, Eewa Farms leads the way in clean, responsible, ethical, and innovative agriculture for a healthier future.

Source link

Post Views: 0

Startup

White collar hiring activity rises by 2% in November: Report

Published

2 hours ago

December 4, 2024

admin

White-collar hiring activity reported a modest 2% growth in November compared to the same month last year, mainly driven by sectors including oil and gas, artificial intelligence-machine learning (AI/ML), FMCG among others, a report said on Tuesday.

Naukri JobSpeak Index, an indicator of white-collar hiring activity, reported modest trends in November, coming in at 2,430 points, reporting a 2 % year-on-year growth.

This positive trend is driven by strong growths in key non-IT sectors like Oil and Gas (16 %), Pharma/Biotech (7 %), FMCG (7 %), and Real Estate (10 %), alongside sustained momentum in emerging domains like AI-ML (30 %) and global capability centres (11 %), the report said.

The IT sector remains steady, registering a flattish trend compared with last year.

In November, standout performers included Oil and Gas (14 %), Artificial Intelligence-Machine Learning (20 %), FMCG (6 %) and GCCs (4 %), highlighting the continued buoyancy in these domains.

Other sectors witnessed moderation in hiring activity, largely expected during the festive season, it added.

The Naukri JobSpeak is a monthly Index representing the state of the Indian job market and hiring activity based on new job listings and job-related searches by recruiters on the resume database of Naukri.com.

Meanwhile, regarding geographic locations, cities in Rajasthan sustained remarkable resilience.

Jaipur (14 %), Udaipur (24 %) and Kota (15 %) emerged as notable bright spots, wherein Jaipur saw a 20 % year-on-year growth in hiring by Foreign MNCs, it said.

Towards the eastern end, Bhubaneswar was impressive with a 21 % YoY increase, it said.

“We typically observe muted trends on white-collar hiring during the festive period and the 2 % growth in November broadly reflects that. However, the combined October and November trends reflect good resilience. Additionally, the rise in non-IT fresher hiring is a good development with respect to the younger talent,” Naukri.com chief business officer Pawan Goyal added.

Source link

Post Views: 0