Startup founder from Burhanpur, MP, pours his heart out to Piyush Goyal

Dear Mr Piyush Goyal,

Commerce and Industry Minister

I run a 100-people software company from Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, I bring a million dollars to Burhanpur economy, and I am the largest white-collar employer in Burhanpur.

Since you have been talking about how Indian startups are not innovating enough, I'd like to ask -- are you providing us with enough resources to innovate?

We don't have 24x7 uninterrupted power in our town, bureaucratic harassment is rampant, and we are treated like third-grade citizens by babus.

I wrote to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), a few IAS officers and to your office last month.

I got no reply.

The PMO forwarded the grievance to the Madhya Pradesh labour commissioner, who never responded.

In the mail, I had made an urgent plea.

I said that my company, BizProspex (Prospex Network Pvt Ltd), a global IT services provider, was facing relentless bureaucratic harassment in Burhanpur, jeopardising the livelihoods of our more than 100 employees, and the over 250 people employed in IT services because of us.

I started this company back in 2013 in Mumbai, bootstrapped it as a single founder for three years before shifting it to Burhanpur in 2016, driven by an honest desire to create opportunities in my hometown in Madhya Pradesh.

I relocated BizProspex from Mumbai to Burhanpur. We established the first IT company in the city, and today, we are the largest white-collar employer, providing stable jobs and contributing significantly to the local economy. I wanted to create something that would help with reverse migration from cities.

However, our efforts have been stifled by constant demand for bribes and unnecessary obstacles from various government departments.

We have been forced to pay bribes to the municipal department, GST department, PF department, electrical department, and others just to ensure basic operations. This corruption isn't just ethically wrong, it is unsustainable for our business.

I urge you to take immediate action, to investigate these issues and help create a more supportive environment for business in Burhanpur.

Failure to address these concerns will force me to shut down BizProspex, leaving over 100 employees jobless and devastating the local economy.

I had written the mail as the director of Prospex Network Pvt Ltd and cc'd it to several people who matter, including Startup India director, secretary of the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and the Burhanpur DM.

There was no help from any quarter and that made me go public with my grievances after you spoke about the startup culture in India.

I have three primary grievances, and no startup in India should be facing any of these.

First, I am tired of giving bribes for everything I want to get done.

Second, there are frequent and unscheduled power cuts, which disrupt my operations with international clients. For God's sake, what do I tell my customer in the UK? We don't have electricity here.

Third, enough with bureaucratic harassment, since we don't have a GST / PF office in Burhanpur, the officers ask me to travel to Khandwa (60 kms away for face-to-face meetings to ask for bribes). Aren't we building a digital India? Or is that a jumla for commoners like us, and not for babus.

Would you like to address this concern? Or are you too busy in your dreamland?

I had the opportunity to live comfortably in the US, I moved there in 2016 and lived a good life, but I chose to come back with the thought that I'd like to live close to family and provide employment where it is needed the most. I rtegret that decision every day.

I hope I don't get raided or harassed tomorrow. I don't have the energy to deal with anything negative in life.

I just stated my heart out honestly.

Also, a few people [on social media] have been commenting on my religion. Please keep doing so, it is helping improve my reach. Thank you.

I hope I don't face any harassment or anything tomorrow.

If I do, I will tweet about it, shut my company down, and move to Dubai and get a job.

God has been very kind to me. I have more than I ever asked for. I can live a super comfortable life even if I have to shut down my company. But what about the people who are directly and indirectly associated with us?

Murtaza Amin

Founder and director of BizProspex

Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh

PS: On Saturday, even as my post went viral, Piyush Goyal announced a helpline for startups to help them offer suggestions and file complaints. I am thankful for that.

(This piece comprises a post that Murtaza Amin shared on X and has been published with his permission; the views expressed in this piece are those of the author)