NextGen Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inaugurated in Mumbai on Mahatma Phule Jayanti; Targets Financial Inclusion for Bahujan, Rural Communities
MUMBAI, April 11, 2026 — Invoking the legacy of social reformer Mahatma Jotirao Phule on his 199th birth anniversary, a new industry body aimed at promoting entrepreneurship among marginalised and rural communities was formally inaugurated in Mumbai on Saturday.
The NextGen Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), founded by entrepreneur Pravin More and co-founded by Shital Borade, was launched at Wockhardt Towers, Bandra Kurla Complex, in the presence of senior industry leaders, retired bureaucrats, banking officials, and grassroots entrepreneurs.
The choice of Mahatma Phule Jayanti as the launch date carried an explicit social message — that economic opportunity must extend beyond privileged classes to reach the last mile of Indian society.
(Photo 1) Founders, office bearers, and participants of the NextGen Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) pose for a group photograph following the inaugural ceremony held at Wockhardt Towers, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, on April 11, 2026 — Mahatma Jotirao Phule Jayanti.
Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide
Speaking at the inaugural session, More outlined the NCCI’s core mandate: to dismantle structural barriers that have historically prevented Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class, and rural entrepreneurs from accessing capital, markets, and institutional support.
“Our objective is not merely to create entrepreneurs — it is to close the gap between those who have always had access to opportunity and those who have not,” More said. “Every scheme, every banking linkage, every market opportunity that exists in urban India must reach the rural entrepreneur and the startup in the village.”
More further committed that the NCCI would engage in policy-level negotiations on behalf of marginalised communities to secure dedicated budgetary provisions and rights-based economic entitlements.
Industry, Banking and Government Signal Support
Mr. Huzaifa H. Khorakiwala, Chairman and CEO of Wockhardt Group, extended the organisation’s support for the NCCI’s entrepreneurship initiatives, signalling that established industry has a role to play in building an inclusive business ecosystem.
(Photo 2)Retired IAS officer Dr. Sanjay Chahande addresses the founding members and office bearers of the NextGen Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) at the inaugural session, Wockhardt Towers, BKC, Mumbai, April 11, 2026. A portrait of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the NCCI banner are prominently visible in the backdrop.
Retired IAS officer Dr. Sanjay Chahande underlined the urgency of developing an entrepreneurial culture within the Bahujan community comparable to that seen in the United States. He drew attention to a venture capital fund offering grants of up to ₹15 crore available to eligible entrepreneurs and urged the NCCI to actively connect members to such instruments. “Knowledge and skill must accompany capital. Entrepreneurship without capacity building is unsustainable,” Chahande said.
Vishakha Adhav, Under Secretary at the Maharashtra Government, expressed satisfaction at the NCCI’s launch on Mahatma Phule Jayanti and assured institutional support at the policy level. “Mahatma Phule’s vision was of equal dignity and equal opportunity. This chamber, launched on his birth anniversary, carries that responsibility,” she said.
Representatives from Canara Bank (Sunil Singh) and Punjab National Bank (Raja Ingale) briefed participating entrepreneurs on credit facilities, loan products, and simplified processes for business financing.
Social media expert Vishwajyot Ranjanekar presented a comparative study of urban versus rural lending patterns for SC/ST entrepreneurs, pointing to significant structural disparities and calling for attitudinal reform alongside policy change.
Women Entrepreneurs at the Centre
Sneha Bhalerao, a self-help group entrepreneur, raised a pointed concern at the session, calling on the NCCI to avoid replicating the pattern of select chambers that have historically benefited only a small circle of already-established entrepreneurs. “This chamber must be transparent, inclusive, and genuinely accessible to grassroots entrepreneurs — particularly women,” she said.
Dr. Umesh Kamble, Founder Director of Farm to Fork Solutions, and Vijay Gaikwad, Director of Strategy and Public Relations at Farm to Fork Corporate Consultants, were among the entrepreneurs and professionals who participated in the proceedings. Mahendra Nile, Nalanda Nile, Sachin Borade, and Deepika Kapse were also present, representing the emerging entrepreneurial community that the NCCI seeks to serve.
Context and Outlook
The NCCI’s launch comes at a time when government schemes such as Startup India, MUDRA, and the Procurement Policy for MSMEs have created a formal architecture for entrepreneurship support — yet ground-level access, particularly for rural and first-generation entrepreneurs from marginalised communities, remains deeply uneven.
The NCCI has outlined eight priority areas including entrepreneurship development, bank linkages, implementation of government schemes, women’s empowerment, promotion of small and medium businesses, and facilitation of Startup India (DPIIT) registration.
Vote of Thanks and Call to Join
Co-founder Shital Borade delivered the formal vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to all dignitaries, banking representatives, government officials, and entrepreneurs who graced the inaugural session. She acknowledged the support extended by Wockhardt Group and the Maharashtra Government, describing their presence as a strong signal of institutional confidence in the NCCI’s mission.
Borade appealed directly to entrepreneurs, self-help group members, startups, and professionals from across Maharashtra — particularly from rural and semi-urban regions — to join the NCCI and make it a genuinely representative body.
“This chamber belongs to every entrepreneur who has been told that opportunity is not for them,” Borade said. “We are building something that has never existed at this scale for our community — a platform with access, with voice, and with accountability. We urge every aspiring entrepreneur, every woman running a business, every young person with a startup dream, to become part of this movement.”
She called on established professionals and industry veterans to mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs through the NCCI’s platform, reinforcing that the chamber’s strength would lie in the collective participation of its members rather than the efforts of its leadership alone.
With commitments secured from industry, banking institutions, and the state government at its very first event, the NCCI’s founding on Mahatma Phule Jayanti sets a clear ideological compass — that enterprise, equity, and empowerment must move forward together. The chamber’s ability to deliver on that promise will now be measured by outcomes on the ground.
For membership and information: Pravin More — 8850446061 | Shital Borade — 7038800985