Kalam sees bigger role for small enterprise

President APJ Abdul Kalam has asked India Inc to encourage small entrepreneurs and thus help the country achieve 10 per cent economic growth and eliminate unemployment and poverty.

Delivering the presidential address at the 76th annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), he said: "We have to graduate to 10 per cent gross domestic product (GDP) growth, and only then will the number of people living below the poverty line come down to zero from 260 million now."

As part of his 'Integrated Action Plan for A Developed India by 2020', Kalam said school syllabi needed to be changed to foster an entrepreneurial spirit among children.

The President also asked financial institutions to offer easy venture capital funding to micro enterprises.