From Financial Constraints to Digital Entrepreneurship: Amit Arya’s Journey to Self-Employment

What happened: Amit Arya’s Digital Service Centre enabled self-employment

Amit Arya, a resident of Haryana belonging to the OBC category, aimed to become self-employed and build a steady income for himself and his family. He faced financial constraints and limited local employment opportunities, so he could not start a sustainable business. Amit identified a practical opportunity: the growing need for digital and e-governance services in his village, which led him to plan a Digital Service Centre (DSC) to serve rural citizens and earn a dependable livelihood.

Background and earlier position: Limited funds, then awareness of credit support

Amit’s main barrier was inadequate funds to start a business. A major turning point came when Amit attended an awareness camp organised by HBCKN. Through the awareness programme, Amit learned about financial assistance available under the NBCFDC scheme. After learning about this support, Amit applied and received a term loan of ₹1.00 lakh in 2019.

What changed now: Loan-financed DSC creation and improved livelihood

The NBCFDC-linked term loan of ₹1.00 lakh enabled Amit to establish a Digital Service Centre in his village. Over time, the DSC developed into an enterprise providing digital and e-governance services to people in the village and nearby communities. The enterprise also became financially sustainable for Amit: his annual income is now approximately ₹2.30 lakh, and he is able to repay the loan regularly. Amit’s journey moves from “struggling to arrange resources to start a business” to earning an independent livelihood through his own enterprise.