Future belongs to innovative entrepreneurs: Jitendra Singh

NEW DELHI: Ability to innovate and experiment irrespective of distinctions of gender or religion is going to be the yardstick for entrepreneurship in a world that is undergoing a paradigm shift, Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said.

"Tomorrow belongs to innovative entrepreneurs regardless of age, sex, religion or even country as we have a global market now. One does not need to be confined to India or to Pakistan for that matter," Singh said.

Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, was speaking after inaugurating the Flo-SCWEC exhibition and conferences on Best Practices in Intra-Regional Business among SAARC countries.

The event has been organised by the FICCI ladies' organisation in collaboration with SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs Council (SCWEC).

"It's going to be a play of ideas and there will be no gender differences. The globalisation which is happening everywhere is a phenomenon that occurs regardless of other situations," Singh said.

The event was attended by delegates from all the other SAARC members -- Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Shaida Mohammad Abdali, the Afghan Ambassador to India, and Shaista Pervaiz Malik, parliamentarian from Pakistan and the SCWEC Chairperson, were present at the event.

"I am a firm believer that women are leaders by their very nature. We should focus on areas like closing the gender gap in business in South Asia and increasing female entrepreneurship and partnership," Malik said, adding that "women should reach boardrooms".