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Updated: Aug 17, 2019 23:45 IST

Putting his weight behind small and medium scale industries, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Chief Mohan Bhagwat said that these industries will bring economic independence and self-sufficiency.

Speaking at a function organized by Laghu Udyog Bharti, an RSS outfit, Bhagwat said small industries are safer for the environment as it requires limited resources and cater to a limited segment of consumers.

Recalling the idea of economic independence envisaged by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, he said five years before the formation of RSS, the Sangh founder, who was a Congressman then, had mooted a resolution of freeing the country from the clutches of capitalism during the party’s session held in Nagpur.

Bhagwat said despite tremendous economic progress, wealth of the world is being controlled by a few big houses and hardly 24-25 rich people are there in the world which did not give economic freedom. He said that big corporations or business houses cannot do justice to such economic freedom and it can be fulfilled only by small and medium scale industries which provide self-sufficiency.

“The first condition for attaining financial freedom for all is that every person should become self-sufficient. Those who are not self-sufficient do not have freedom,” he said and added that it is entrepreneurship which can make more and more people financially self-sufficient.

Hinting at the corporate sector, Bhagwat said that in a span of 25 to 30 years such businesses reach a level that funds need to be borrowed desperately for survival. “Rather small industries are also safer for the environment. Limited resources are consumed by such units which cater to a limited segment of consumers,” Bhagwat further said.

Small entrepreneurs should be socially aware. They should take measures to preserve the environment as they are also citizens of the society. The more the small and medium scale industries grow, people will become more financially independent, the RSS chief further said.

Jitendra Gupta, the president of Laghu Udyog Bharti, said slowdown has hampered the sector and is a matter of concern. The government’s policies certainly have a role to play in the slowdown and a holistic view needs to be taken. The Goods and Services Tax (GST), initiated by the Modi government too has taken a toll on the sector, he added.