Sorry, Indians not allowed in India by Indians!

When we talk of Indian nationalism, we think of a few things, and one of them is the pride we take in the growing Indian economy. We think of budding Indian entrepreneurs, successful SMEs and also of PSUs. Some of us may also think of the interview by Praful Patel, Union Aviation Minister, where he mentioned that Air India and Indian PSUs symbolize Indian nationalism. This post takes an extension from this speech and several other similar talks about PSUs.

If the public sector undertakings of India represent our own nationalism, why is it that some of them take proactive steps towards closing doors for another representation of India- Indian SMEs? Is it that the very fabric of our society does not allow us to look beyond imported products, or is the mindset of those sitting at the top which forces them to use everything foreign? If this remains the approach, then will it be possible for us to take pride in Indian nationalism forever? These questions may have answers which are subject to debate and qualitative explanation, but facts always give you quantitative understanding.

Well, instead of taking you through a myriad of questions, let me acquaint you with certain facts which will help us understand the reason which led us to ask the questions.

Fact 1: HPCL issued a tender for Biometric Access Control with a list of qualified manufacturers for the same.

Fact 2: The list did not include any Indian manufacturer which may be fully capable of handling the project to the client’s complete satisfaction.

Fact 3: Solus is a well recognised but Indian brand which has successfully undertaken Biometric Access Control projects for various multinational companies, while replacing many foreign brands in the process. The words spoken by companies like Wipro, Patni, Asian Paints and testimonials by several others speak for this fact.

Fact 4: Solus fulfils all the criteria set by the Technical Evaluation Committee  required for make approval for the project. Every certification and required documents supporting all claims were submitted in time.

Fact 5: Solus, the capable  Indian manufacturer was excluded from Approved makes, despite the fact that other countries’ government projects have approved Solus, such as Royal Court & Palace and Royal Air force of Oman, as well as Several Ministries of Bahrain.

Fact 6: Some of the brands approved for bidding actually have little experience of Indian environment and conditions, and have failed in successfully executing some other Indian projects.

The above are some facts which cannot be denied, and facts lead to conclusions. Conclusions may not be always quantitative like facts but they do present a possibility,  - A picture of future.

Conclusion 1: HPCL and several other PSUs seem to have a problem with Solus being an  Indian brand, and they feel it’s easier to involve imported brands while overlooking the facts stated above. It is similar to a case where Indian middle class decides to buy a Van Heusen or Louiss Phillipe because they sound foreign (and also feature foreign models in their ads) and partially hides the fact that they are manufactured in factories of India. But I hope PSU heads do not need to behave like us regular middle class people, especially when important projects like these are at stake.

Conclusion 2: Such trend can lead to severe stagnation of Indian economy’s growth, as this will mean that Research & Development in India won’t be given its due credit.

Conclusion 3: This entire set of facts also rings a possibility of death knell for Indian manufacturers who wish to grow big and reach out to developed countries showing them the Indian prowess. And we are not overreacting, because trends lead to exponentiation. No one can forget the panic the PSUs were subjected to when American MNCs denied cooperation in the late 90s.

Conclusion 4: This conclusion is a suggestion that, Govt should ‘legalise’ this brand approval business by making it Open to all but setting an appropriate fee (like EMD) rather loosing revenue by leaving it to the “discretion” of consultants. This will encourage "serious to deliver" to come forward while deterring non-serious players apart from healthy competitions, fair chance to all and of course revenue for government than others.

Conclusion 5: We need to take steps towards showing the PSUs that India is ready to make it big, and companies who represent India must definitely take decisions based on what can help their projects the most, instead of following what has been a wrong convention.

The conclusions above have used heavy language as it was needed to emphasise the importance of this entire article. Conclusion 5 talks about what is needed now. Indian SMEs, Indian Manufacturers, R&D experts of India, and every other entrepreneur who wishes to help India grow need to make a statement.

Solus is a brand which has been continuously making efforts to keep up the name of Indian manufacturers, through the various international and national level projects it has undertaken for Security & Office Automation. Several Awards to its credit, Solus has also expanded its pledge to help India grow by launching a brand Incept in order to specially help Indian SMEs. Such a group needs its place amongst the equals even though these equals may represent some other country. 

We speak out to India through this post and also to Mr Jaipal Reddy, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and to all the Directors of various PSUs in India. Isn’t it an irony when we talk of Indian nationalism, and those at the helm of ensuring our growth fail to recognize what is needed the most for this? I think it’s time to let us grow without any prejudice or biases.

Indians, please allow us Indians to serve India.