Jalandhar June 23 (Jaswinder Singh Azad)- In an era demanding inclusive growth and grassroots innovation, five high schoolers have audaciously stepped beyond the academic precincts to catalyse social transformation. Under the banner of SEED (Social Empowerment through Entrepreneurship Development), an initiative envisioned and executed by Pranav Prashar, Karthik Patiyal, Yuvraj Thakur, Angad Gill, and Mehraab Kalsi, rural empowerment has found an articulate and action-driven voice.
With more than 30 villagers in attendance — a microcosm of agrarian Punjab — the session commenced not with statistics or jargon, but with a deceptively simple yet profound question: “Why do you think people start a business?”
What ensued was not a monologue, but a dialogue — an avenue of discovery, where participants excavated entrepreneurial ideas from their lived realities. In a hands-on workshop titled “Build Your Own Business”, participants designed ventures tailored to their community’s needs — from dairy distribution systems to home-based tailoring enterprises.
The participants were introduced to a host of government schemes — PMEGP, MUDRA, and DAY-NRLM. They received step-by-step guidance on navigating application protocols, thereby translating policy into praxis.
“This session wasn’t about giving a lecture — it was about showing people what they can build with what they already have,” remarked co-founder Pranav Prashar, encapsulating the ethos of the initiative rooted in empowerment and sustainability.
The Banga engagement marks SEED’s seminal sowing of transformation, with ambitions that transcend geography. SEED aptly reflects the power of youthful conviction coupled with civic responsibility wherein five students have put their best foot forward in bringing about a change in the rural tapestry for good.