Patna,:The flagship project of Sammaan Foundation for the rickshaw operators, has drawn accolades across the United States. The entrepreneurial spirit of the Rickshaw Operator was represented by Irfan Alam of Begusarai district in Bihar, founder chairman of Sammaan Foundation, at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship hosted by the President Barack Obama.
In all 250 Muslim entrepreneurs from 60 countries were invited to the Summit. India was represented by Irfan Alam, Shahnaz Husain, Shaheen Mistri, Sirajuddin Qureshi, Shaffi Mather and Kavil Ramachandran. The last named is a Professor in the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and was the only academic in the Indian delegation.
This invitation to Rickshaw Operators endorsed that come whatever may when the head is held high, it does not go unnoticed. The efforts by Samman have been hugely appreciated at the summit by everyone, including Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus of Grameen Bank, Bangladesh.
As a part of this journey Sammaan Foundation shared the project with academicians at Harvard Business School, Stanford University, Kennedy School of Government and the TiE global chapter.
Sharing his experiences, Irfan Alam said that coming to this summit and showcasing the Sammaan Foundation’s case with the best in the domain of business and entrepreneurship had left him more determined to bring a differences to the lives of the families of more and more Rickshaw Operators.
Of the various projects, Samman is planning to put up an assembling–cum-manufacturing and an ancillary unit for cycle and cycle rickshaws in Bihar. A novel project wherein the cycle rickshaw operators will hold equity and have a say in managing this small and medium enterprise. With a target of producing 15,00,000 units in first three years of operations, it will enhance the consumption of pedal driven conveyance in Bihar and adjoining states.
Dr Piyush Kumar Sinha, Professor, IIM Ahmedabad and Chief Mentor, Sammaan Foundation said, “Wealthy are Nations whose people toil hard. Sammaan’s efforts in this direction are extremely commendable. When people embark on a journey single-mindedly, the pursuit has to bring a positive change. The journey is poised to become more meaningful, when likes of Nobel Laureate, Mohammad Yunus invite Irfan for implementing this ‘Be Positive’ programme for the bottom of pyramid communities in their countries.