Entrepreneurship - Gujarat's Trump Card
By : Kamlendra Kanwar

Introduction
The Ahmedabad Management Association has been
in the forefront of efforts to upgrade human skills in various spheres in the quest to make Gujarat destination number 1 in industrial growth, investment and overall well-being

As part of this endeavour, we have embarked upon an idea to provide a comprehensive document on entrepreneurship and the spirit of enterprise in Gujarat as an aid to the growing number of knowledge-seekers who are looking to satiate their appetite for such information. This publication is published under GoG-AMA Centre for International Trade set-up in AMA in collaboration with Government of Gujarat.

This report ‘Entrepreneurship—Gujarat’s trump card’ deals with this subject in all its dimensions. There is an examination of the psyche of the Gujaratis, their capacity for risk-taking, their attitude of pursuing a goal without being weighed down by initial failures, their positivity.

There is an acknowledgement in the study on the unique public-private partnership and the fact that the State has been a catalyst in the process of change. Various initiatives of the Government are also analyzed.

Some light is shed on the infrastructure in the State and considerable attention is devoted to how the State is gearing up for new additions to infrastructure, be it roads or power or water or education. There is much thought devoted to the creation of industrial zones as also on promotion of exports from the State.

Special emphasis is laid on the new and upcoming initiatives in the ‘New Economy’ areas and how the State is making a conscious effort to encourage hi-tech industries.

There is focus also on the grey areas—especially the lack of attention to quality of school education and the dearth of technical institutions and a word of caution is sounded against ignoring the need for Gujarat to focus more on this area.

The history of entrepreneurship is dealt with not only within the State but also on how Gujaratis have enriched other lands through their sense of enterprise and how well they are doing today in the US.

We were scouting for an appropriate person to undertake this task for us when we zeroed in on Kamlendra Kanwar whose second book on the State ‘Trailblazers of Gujarat’ was ready for release. Kanwar had earlier established his credentials as Editor of The Times of India, Ahmedabad and author of another authoritative work ‘Icons of Gujarat Industry’ which had made waves when it was launched in 2000.

Kanwar has dealt with the subject with sensitivity. This paper that he has produced is a product of painstaking research. Material for it has been obtained from various sources and an honest attempt has been made to put it in perspective.

We are indebted to Ms. Gauri Kumar, IAS, then Industries Commissioner for initiating this subject and encouraging us to undertake this project through GoG-AMA Centre for International Trade. We are also grateful to Mr. Sujit Gulati, IAS, Industries Commissioner for his support and encouragement for publishing this book

We would feel a sense of fulfillment if this exercise benefits the growing army of ‘knowledge-seekers’ who require a broad understanding of the subject.

Janak D. Parikh
President, AMA