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Distinguished Speaker Session By Shri. Jayesh Ranjan
IMT Hyderabad, 06th July 2024: Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Hyderabad, hosted a Leadership Series by Shri. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Special Chief Secretary of the Industries & Commerce and Information Technology Department, Telangana. The session revolved around expanding opportunities for entrepreneurship in India.
Mr. Ranjan began the session on a friendly note, creating a positive atmosphere among the students. He then seamlessly moved to the main topic, explaining how the jury of the Economic Times Awards, which used to include high-profile individuals like Mr. Rahul Bajaj, Mr. Adi Godrej, and leaders from the Kirloskar family, now features top entrepreneurs such as Mr. Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Mr. Ritesh Agarwal. This shift underscores the growing scope of entrepreneurship in India.
He also highlighted the evolving perceptions regarding entrepreneurship, noting that while it was once seen negatively as a fallback for those who couldn't secure good jobs, it is now recognized and valued as a legitimate and respected career path. Mr. Ranjan also discussed how the government is promoting entrepreneurship, citing the example of the Telangana government establishing a fantastic innovation space in Hyderabad called the T-Hub and advised students to visit the place.
Mr. Ranjan cautioned the audience against overestimating their skill sets and thinking that they can handle everything alone when planning for a start-up, as this mindset could contribute to the failure of their venture. Instead, he suggested an approach of first discovering the problem and then doing mental exercise to find out which technology could solve the problem. He motivated students to battle against the three criticisms that Indian start-ups face: (1) We do copy & paste, substantiating how Ola was launched after Uber. (2) We always solve the problems of the rich. (3) We lack a problem-solving mindset.
The speaker advised students to be familiar with the evolving tools and technologies like AI. He highlighted the importance of data accessibility by introducing the Telangana Open Data Portal, a government initiative that provides all necessary public data free of cost.
Towards the end of the session, an engaging Q&A round added depth to the subject. Prof. (Dr.) Surajit Ghosh, Area Chairperson – IT & Analytics, IMT Hyderabad, administered the vote of thanks. The session concluded formally with Prof. (Dr.) Sriharsha Reddy, Director, IMT Hyderabad, presenting a memento to the esteemed guest.
