PEARL Multidisciplinary Journal

Dalit Entrepreneurship: Problems and Prospects with Special Reference to Dakshina Kannada District

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is an elusive concept. The concept of entrepreneurship has been a subject of much debate and is defined differently by different authors. It has been used in various ways and in various senses. The word entrepreneurship has been derived from a French root which means ‘to undertake’ Today, people call it by various names such as, ‘risk bearing’, ‘innovations,’ ‘thrill seeking’ etc. The word ‘Dalit’ comes from the Sanskrit root dal - and means ‘broken, ground-down, or oppressed’. Those previously known as Untouchables, Depressed classes and Harijanas who are sharing 24.4 percent in the total population (According to 2011 census data) are today increasingly adopting the term ‘Dalit’ as a name for themselves. The Dalits have historically been poor, deprived of basic human rights, and treated as social inferiors in India. They still face economic, social, and political discrimination in the name of ‘caste’. Entrepreneurship is particularly important, as the so called Dalits have run and managed a number of traditional and cottage industries such as handicrafts, pottery and leather-work for centuries. The skills, know-how and domain of knowledge necessary for this purpose have been passed on from one generation to the next and are available with them even today. In the modern technology dominated and development driven times, to fulfil the mission of, ‘Subka Saath- Subka Vikas’, there is an  urgent need as well as wide scope for research on Dalit Entrepreneurship  in a developing country like India. It is necessary to reflect on the factors that have imprisoned them in the dungeon of depravity and shed light on how to push them to the mainstream of the economy with access to means of better livelihood and opportunities.

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Keywords

Dalit, Entrepreneurship, Motivation.

Author Affiliations

Radhakrishna Gowda V1,  Pramod Gonchikar2

1 Dept. of Business Management St Philomena College Puttur

2 Govt  RC College, Bangalore

Dates

February 2017

Volume 3

No 1