CHENNAI: Her joy knew no bounds when she had a chance of a lifetime to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he flew down to the Temple City to lay the foundation stone for AIIMS project and also address a mammoth rally of the BJP on Sunday.
Arulmozhi Sarvanan, the Mudra Yojana beneficiary from Madurai had sold thermos flasks to the Prime Minister’s Office through Government eMarketplace (GeM). She had decided to meet the PM during his visit to Madurai and Modi allotted her time and accepted her greetings.
This entrepreneur, from modest beginnings, had applied and obtained a Mudra loan for her business when the Union Government launched the Mudra Yojana for small entrepreneurs to get loans without collateral. Her chore was to supply simple goods and products to government offices. After coming to know about the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), she registered on it and to her surprise in 2017, while browsing the GeM site, she noticed that the Prime Minister’s Office was keen on purchasing a few thermos flasks and she readily responded. The PMO confirmed the order and the flasks were supplied and the payment made.
Arulmozhi shared this success story with the Prime Minister through a letter and Modi later mentioned it in his ‘Mann KiBaat’ programme in mid-2017. In her letters to the PM, she addressed Mr. Modi as her father. Her business grew gradually and recently, she wrote to the Prime Minister again, informing him of the updates in her business, and the transformation in her life. Interestingly, the turnover of her enterprise has crossed Rs. 1 crore in the current financial year. And it all started with an order of Rs. 234 on GeM.
Arulmozhi, who was using firewood for cooking has now switched to a gas cylinder and she is planning to give up her cooking gas subsidy. She hopes to avail a home loan. According to her, the GeM makes her believe it is a great platform for Government offices to save public money. To her, the GeM is not just a means to a business but a service to the nation, she says. Doing business has become even easier after GST implementation. Arulmozhi’s success story is an example of how Government’s reforms can transform peoples’ lives socially and economically.
