IIT Graduate, Who Appeared On Shark Tank India, Talks About The ‘Dark Side Of Make In India’ – News18

Last Updated:January 09, 2025, 13:48 IST

An IIT Delhi graduate and entrepreneur, Aman Rai, expressed frustration over the challenges he faced while trying to secure a factory license for his business.

Aman Rai, an IIT Delhi graduate and entrepreneur, in a post, shared his frustration about the difficulties he faced while attempting to secure a factory license for his business. Rai, who had earlier sealed a Rs 1 crore deal on Shark Tank India for Aroleap, recently took to X to share his troubling experience. He revealed that a vendor he approached for assistance told him that the “out-of-pocket expenses” for obtaining the necessary license would be Rs 70,000. Frustrated with the situation, Rai questioned the government’s promises of making business easier and the “Make in India” initiative.

“I am in the process of securing a factory license for our mfg facility. Taking help from a vendor who said ‘out-of-pocket expenses’ in the department will be ~INR 70K!!! (IYKYK) So much for “Make in India” & “Ease of doing business”?” his post read.

Deciding to handle the process himself, Rai bypassed the vendor and applied directly for the license, only to be hit with a demand for Rs 1 lakh. “Dark side of Make in India! Went and filed for the license directly. Being asked for 1L as a bribe to get the license now!” he wrote.

Rai’s post gained viral attention as it accumulated more than 7 lakh views. The wide reach of his post prompted a senior official from the Ministry of Commerce to contact Rai and promise to look into the issue. Rai later shared an update, stating, “X is powerful. This blew up, and a senior official from the commerce ministry reached out to understand the issue. Will likely get resolved quickly,” he wrote.

The post sparked a range of reactions from social media users. While many criticised the situation, others urged Rai to share the details of the officials who had asked for a bribe.

One user sharply commented, “These slogans are to make the common folks feel good about the country, who have no idea what goes on the ground. Your fault if you believed in ‘Make in India & ease of doing business’ ranks.”

Another user pointed out, “They will force you to pay, the compliances are made in such a way that it’s better to pay in many cases. Our government officials are the biggest enablers of corruption and it starts at the lowest level enabled by society which has normalised it.”

“It’s unfortunate that corruption still affects initiatives like Make in India. It’s meant to promote transparency and support businesses, but issues like bribery undermine these goals. Many entrepreneurs face similar challenges,” someone else wrote.

One user shared their own frustrating experience: “This is nothing, I’m in the process of getting a GMP FDA manufacturing license for chemical APIs and it’s a nightmare, the amount of bribes and contacts needed to get it, it feels like I’m doing something illegal altogether, ease of business my foot!!!” one shared their experience.

“Why not mention the name and details of the person and portfolio of the person asking for a bribe? Nonsensical. You should expose them here so that others won’t suffer like you,” one commenter urged.