SAFASM – Annual General Meet

 

SAFASM – Annual General Meet  

The Annual General Meet of Jalandhar Sports and Fitness Welfare Association of SC Manufacturers (SAFASM) was held on May 6, 2022. SAFASM, still in its infancy, is an outfit of young SC entrepreneurs engaged in manufacturing and trading, including export of sports and health fitness goods and equipment in Jalandhar, a city of sports industry since independence and partition in 1947. Their forefather, skilled and semi-skilled migrated from Sialkot, now in Pakistan, and settled in and around Basti area with their small manufacturing units with their meager financial resources and supporting inputs. The lucrative aspect of the business, trading and export, was handled by the smart and educated belonging to the main stream of the society. Dalits or SCs remained at the fringes most of the time. With the slow process of evolution, some of the younger lot of SC families, after education, joined their family businesses and started trading and export from their manufacturing units against a stiff competition and rivalry from the

established players in the business having resources and wherewithal. A few of them viz; Balwant Brothers, Rattan Brothers, Kamal Brothers among others, succeed with their sheer grit and hard work and opened the doors for many in the waiting. Now with the changing times, the younger generation of SC community with much needed exposure has come, arrived but not yet reached. SAFASM represents these budding entrepreneurs.

SAFASM was the brain child of Mukesh Bassan of BELCO sports, Vivek Kumar of Waryam Sports, Vikram Jeet of Sachin Vikram & Co. and some of their young and aspiring associates. The AGM reelected Mukesh Bassan as the Chairman of SAFASM for another consecutive term by consensus and authorized him to pick up his own team to the run affairs of the Association. AGM also nominated and approved the association of a Former Executive of National SC Hub, Ravi Kant as a Consultant and a Retired Diplomat of IFS, Ambassador Ramesh Chander as an Advisor of SAFASM with a view to streamline and intensify the activities of SAFASM in the days to come. All the participants wholeheartedly and spontaneously welcomed and appreciated these appointments.

The formal celebratory part of the meeting started with welcome of the Chief Guest, MLA Sheetal Angural and Ravinder Birdi of SC Entrepreneurs Chamber of Punjab by presenting bouquets of flowers by Ambassador Ramesh Chander. Welcoming the Chief Guest MLA Sheetal Angural, other guests and participants, Vivek Kumar
informed the audience about the decisions of the AGM referred to in the preceding paragraphs and said that they were confident that with the blessings of MLA Sheetal Angural whose family itself was engaged in sports business and expertise and wide experience of Ambassador Ramesh Chander and Ravi Kant ASFASM would endeavor to do its best for the success and welfare of its members.

In their brief presentations, Ambassador Ramesh Chander, Ravi Kant and Ravender Birdi made some important suggestions and submissions to Hon’ble MLA Sheetal Angural with regard to providing much needed facilities and opportunities to the small manufactures of sports goods that generally belonged to the weaker

sections of the society. One such suggestion which found much support and appreciation was – developing a focal point by providing small plots of land so that the household industry could be shifted to proper space and location in around Basti area in conjunction with the proposed Sports University by the Punjab Government. Ravender Birdi and Ravi Kant gave an over-view of the plans, schemes and enabling provisions of the Government of India under MSME, NSIC, and National SC Hub among others to encourage and support SC businessmen to avail these and benefit from them. MLA Sheetal Angural, the Chief Guest of the function, was very enthusiastic in responding positively to all the suggestions made and promised to extend all due help and assistance from the Government of Punjab and Jalandhar Administration. In his emotional address, he said that

he would only be happy if he could do something to bring about further progress of his fellow brethren in the community to which he and his family belonged.  Newly re-elected Head of SAFASM, Mukesh Bassan delivering the vote of thanks briefed the audience about the activities of SAFASM to help its members in further development of their businesses and social activities to help the community at large as their gesture to pay back to the society. The AGM Meet concluded with a sumptuous dinner.

The taste of the pudding lay in its eating, it is said. With a view to carry forward the agenda of SAFASM, Head of SAFASM, Mukesh Bassan, along with his business associates, CA Vikram Jeet and Rajiv Sharma met Minister of Education and Sports, Gurmeet Hayer on May 12 at Chandigarh accompanying Ambassador Ramesh

Chander on facilitation by the Nakodar MLA Indirjit Kaur Mann. The purpose of the meeting was to study, explore, identify and exploit opportunity to create job opportunities in rural areas by engaging them in the manufacturing of sports goods. The Minister gave them a patient hearing. SAFASM would pursue the proposal.

It has been observed that SAFASM is a new outfit of young entrepreneurs belonging to the hitherto marginalized sections of the society but zeal and dedication appears to be excellent which would tend to bring in the desired results. Inshaalla!