From village shopkeeper to steel entrepreneur: Assam man turns hardship into enterprise
Gogamukh, Assam: Jitu Borah once sold biscuits, soaps, and mobile recharge vouchers from a modest grocery shop in Dhemaji district. Today, the 50-year-old runs a steel enterprise with a growing footprint across the Northeast.
His path reflects resilience forged through hardship.In his early years of marriage, Borah’s five-member household lived on his father’s pension. His father, a retired police constable, had opened the small shop after retirement to supplement their income. That fragile stability collapsed in 2008 when his father’s diabetes worsened, leading to repeated hospital visits.
Borah, a law graduate, fell deep into debt as he borrowed to cover medical bills. “In 2009, he had to be admitted to a private hospital in Guwahati. He recovered after a few days, but we did not have the money to pay the hospital bills. We sold off an old Maruti car to bring him home,” he said.
The relief didn’t last. His father’s health declined again and he died days later.Borah struggled to regain footing. Then came a turning point in 2011. He watched trucks unload steel almirahs from Guwahati into local markets and saw an opportunity others missed. With no experience or capital, he spoke to craftsmen to learn whether the products could be made locally.
That same year, he launched a small steel fabrication unit from his home with a government loan. “I had applied for an industrial loan and received ₹5 lakh under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme following an interview,” Borah said.
