Dr.Samir Baruah

It was so nice conversing with you this morning. It is nice to reconnect with you after a long gap. I have gone through your website and also the news letter. I am very pleased to see the initiative taken by you all in promoting the entrepreneurial eco system. I am of the opinion that time has come for collaboration and leveraging of the core competencies of individuals and organisation in a win win situation. I am essentially a motivator, mentor for the youths venturing into enterprise and business. I have behind me 40 years of Banking operational experience, exposure and expertise. I have had the privilege of working virtually throughout the country with exposure abroad. My focus all along has been youth and enterprise with special emphasis on the need for creation of greater awareness regarding Banking services. The Banking service had given me huge opportunity to come into direct contact with enterprise and youths for 40 years in varied locations. Two of the Project with whom I was closely associated figured in two important books 1. C.K.Prahalad's Fortune at the bottom of the Pyramid for a Rural development project in Mirzapur District of Uttar Pradesh and another in Dr.Abdul Kalam's Book Target 3 Billion for a village network rural development project in Tamilnadu.

Even at this age, I am very enterprising and walk the talk. On 21st of March 2021 I was conferred with the PhD degree. This was a post retirement endeavour triggered by the concern on seeing that 'Access to finance' remains a big challenge before the entrepreneurs, more so, in Assam with dearth of Capital, Equity, Investment funds, Angel funding. There is added responsibility on the banks to be more pro active in making available the much needed finance to the Youths venturing into business. However while looking into the role of the banking industry in Assam I was surprised to find that the Credit-Deposit ratio is very low hovering around only 36% for the Public Sector Banks with over 82% of the banking business with them. Bankers were of the opinion that the Credit Absorption Capacity in Assam is low ..which means that the Demand for Credit is low....Is it really so??? This ignited my mind and I decided to carry out a research to find out why the outflow of credit is so low in Assam. I was fortunate to get an opportunity apply for admission my PhD through a newspaper advertisement. However I was taken aback, when I was told that I have to sit in an entrance Test and if I can clear that then I have to appear before an interview Board and if that is also cleared then I have to attend classes for 6 months then write another examination of 5 papers to become eligible for Registration. Sitting in a written examination after almost 40 years could not be imagined. Even though I was in horror but seeing  the need to go deeper into the subject and the plight of the Youths venturing into business in not getting proper response from the banks, strengthened my determination and prompted me to plunge into writing the common test. It was not that I was interested in a Doctorate, my focus was to show the banking industry that there is demand that prompted me to take the PhD as a mission for the youths of Assam.

Accordingly with lot of hard work I could complete the entire process to start my research. My research subject was "An investigation into the low Credit-Deposit Ratio of Banks in the State of Assam". The objective was to ascertain the reasons for such low outflow of Bank Credit in the State of Assam. I based my research more on Primary data. I extensively travelled to various districts, towns and villages in Assam to meet the entrepreneurs and ascertain from them the various issues and challenges faced by them in securing bank loans. With the good wishes and blessings of God almighty I could write my Thesis and could defend my thesis successfully. At the age of 69 I was awarded with the degree. This is what I am telling the youths...Where there is a will there is a way.....I have tremendous amount of confidence on our Youths and the success stories are needed to be published and publicised to inspire others also to be on mission mode in transforming Job Seekers into Job Creators.

There is absolute need of  'Margdarshaks'... Mentors...in handholding and showing the path...When? How? A Relationship with a bank is needed to be established is still unknown to most of our entrepreneurs....they must know that once a transactional relationship with a bank is established ...the Sky is the limit for them....a bank manager if he/she wants, can make a 'Cobbler into a BATA and an Auto Operator into a TATA' ....This caption is my own creation not patented...so far....

Dr.Samir Baruah
Bsc(Economics) M.A. Economics CAIIB (I) PhD

Former Corporate General Manager, Chennai
Former Principal Indian Overseas Bank Staff College, Chennai
Former Chief Regional Manager for the State of Bihar, Jharkand, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal including Andaman Nicobar Islands, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh
Assignments in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai
Former Director Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd (post retirement assignment)
Former Chairman Kamrup Mentors' Chapter and Member Strategic Planning committee Bharat Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST)
Former President Elect and former Vice President Rotary Club of Gauhati

Presently Mission Director (Assam) UNCTAD-EMPRETEC Mission and Senior Advisor India
Chairman Committee on Banking, Enterprise & MSME Indian Chamber of Commerce NE
Advisor, Laghu Udyog Bharti North East
Advisor Start Up Assam
Advisor Sonali Farmer Producer Organisation
As a resource person in Banking Enterprise and Management I have had the privilege of addressing large number of students and faculty in reputed Management Institutes and Engineering Colleges including IIT in the Country apart from General colleges inspiring students to become job creators.
Writer ..with newspaper publications, journals and Industry Associations' publications.