An Open Letter to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji on Sapta Dhara and MSMEs

 

An Open Letter to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji on Sapta Dhara and MSMEs

Respected Prime Minister Modi Ji,

I write to you as a Hyderabad-based academic and researcher with over 50 years of experience working closely with Indian MSMEs. Your Independence Day message on Sapta Dhara—quality-first manufacturing, technology-led growth, and “world as market”—resonates deeply with what I have seen on the ground for five decades.

Your vision is clear and proactive. The policy direction is strong. But as you rightly implied, progress needs two hands to clap: the Government must lead, and entrepreneurs must step up with equal commitment.

From my field work across Telangana, I see a hard reality: out of nearly 8 crore MSMEs, only a small fraction are truly ready to compete globally on quality, scale, and reliability. Many owners are trapped in survival mode—focused on cash flow and daily operations, not on process discipline, organizational alignment, or export readiness. Government schemes exist, but their impact at the supplier level remains limited.

I am reminded of the Maruti Suzuki story. When Maruti came to India about 50 years ago, it deliberately built a culture of ancillarisation. Over decades, it transformed from a carmaker into an assembler backed by a deep network of tiered suppliers practicing just-in-time, traceability, and zero-defect quality. Today, India is an auto component export hub, largely because one anchor firm treated supplier development as core to its own competitiveness.

But the ripple effect has been slow. Outside auto and a few sectors, most MSMEs have not experienced this kind of anchor-led transformation.

This is where I see a concrete opportunity.

I propose a national effort: “500 Anchors, 10,000 MSMEs.”

• Identify 500 large corporates and PSUs across sectors—defence (like BDL), pharma, aerospace, engineering, MNC manufacturers.

• Encourage each anchor to systematically upgrade at least 20 of their critical MSME suppliers over 12–24 months.

• Focus on quality, reliability, cost reduction, and export readiness using simple diagnostics: financial ratios, process metrics, and organizational alignment.

• Support this through research–industry collaborations, where PhD scholars and local experts work with anchors and MSMEs to design, implement, and measure these programs.

I am already acting on this in Hyderabad. As part of my ongoing PhD research on MSME operational efficiency, I am approaching anchors like Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and multinational manufacturers to pilot an Anchor–MSME Capability Program. The goal is to show that with structured support, even small units can improve inventory turns, reduce defects, and become more reliable partners in global supply chains.

My humble requests to you and your Government are:

1. Encourage 500 large corporates and PSUs to adopt an “Anchor–MSME Capability Program” as part of their ESG/BRSR and supply-chain strategy.

2. Task NITI Aayog, Ministry of MSME, and DPIIT to:

   • Identify these 500 anchors across sectors.

   • Provide light-touch support (recognition, data framework, possible incentives) for those who commit to upgrading at least 20 MSMEs each.

3. Ask defence PSUs, pharma majors, and MNC manufacturers to lead as first movers, given their critical supply chains and export ambitions.

4. Support research–industry collaborations that bring PhD scholars, consultants, and local experts into the MSME ecosystem to co-create practical, measurable improvement programs.

I do not seek funds or positions. I seek policy encouragement and a framework so that efforts like mine in Hyderabad can scale across India. I believe that if 500 anchors each lift 20 MSMEs, we can create a lead cohort of 10,000 globally competitive units—enough to spark a broader revolution.

You have laid out the vision through Sapta Dhara. Now, with your blessing, let us build the second hand of the clap: anchors, entrepreneurs, and researchers working together to make Indian MSMEs a true force in the world.

With deep respect and hope,

Nilesh Desai
Hyderabad, Telangana
PhD Researcher | 50+ Years with Indian MSMEs

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