The news that thousands of engineering graduates and even PhD holders have applied for police constable vacancies in Madhya Pradesh is an indicator of the employment culture in India. People are eager to have ‘safe’ jobs (that also carry under the table perks), rather than become part of an entrepreneurial class that would add to the economy. Why are young people not willing to take on the challenge of finding the best in themselves?
Developing an entrepreneurial spirit among India’s lower-middle class requires shifting the mindset from basic survival to scalable value creation. In present-day India, rapid digitisation and government-backed infrastructure have made micro-entrepreneurship highly viable. The cheapest entry point to modern business is a smartphone. Youngsters in schools and colleges must learn to master UPI ecosystems and onboard e-commerce; navigate open networks like the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to access pan-India buyers without high marketplace commissions. Master basic social media algorithms to market hyper-local services or goods directly to neighbourhoods.
The lower-middle class often fears formal banking, yet informal loans trap them in high-interest cycles. They must leverage schemes like PM Mudra Yojana to secure low-interest setup capital. PM SVANidhi can be used to establish small-scale retail operations and build credit history. Formalisation can be achieved by registering on the Udyam Portal to gain official Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) status, unlocking state subsidies.
Government education policies must focus on showing wannabe entrepreneurs how to upgrade traditional, low-margin trades into high-demand, tech-enabled services. Skill monetisation can be done by utilising formal training platforms like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to transition from informal daily labour to certified gig-economy entrepreneurship.
Service standardisation is also a necessary goal for traditional trades (like plumbing, tailoring, or electrical work) by transforming into premium, organised service offerings.
Risk mitigation and financial safety is also necessary. Fear of failure is the biggest barrier for families living paycheck to paycheck. Grassroots mentorship needs to be made available by creating local community hubs where successful micro-entrepreneurs share real-world compliance, sourcing, and logistics knowledge. Micro-insurance protection can be had by utilising low-cost government safety nets like the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana to protect families from unexpected health or accidental shocks that wipe out business capital. The transition should be achieved through what is described as the side-hustle. Businesses should be built iteratively as “side-hustles” while maintaining primary employment until revenue stabilises.
It is not as if young people are unaware of these methods and opportunities. Already, many such enterprises are functioning at various levels. It is just that awareness needs to be created at the earliest to inculcate a spirit of entrepreneurship instead of the ‘safety-first’ mindset.
