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Nineteen years ago on July 26, Pakistan intruded Indian terrain and this led to a bloody conflict. India secured victory against Pakistan after a three-month conflict that led to a loss of lives from both sides with the Indian side losing nearly 490 officers, soldiers and jawans. During the war, the Indian Army evicted Pakistani intruders and succeeded in recapturing the Tiger Hill and other posts as a part of Operation Vijay. The rough terrain and high altitude Himalayan regions made the war more difficult. Kargil Vijay Diwas is a celebration of Indian army soldiers’ spirit and valour!

 Today, as Sunil Singh, a Naik in the Indian Army, bids farewell to his colleagues in the Indian army, his reporting officer exclaims with pride, “You are the best Naik, I had in the army. Your contribution to the Indian Army is immense and I hope to see you shine for the rest of your life! Convey my regards to your family. Jai Hind!”

Sunil Singh salutes the office and exclaims “Jai Hind” and boards the bus back home. As he heads back home, he ponders over the next phase of life with one question that keeps coming back to him. “The dream of serving Indian Army is over. Now, what?”

He visualized being welcomed by his villagers with flowers and garlands and now he would be living with them but with his standards set high by working in the Indian Army, he couldn’t have been just another villager! He was aware of the sad state of affairs in his village and he wanted to make a difference. He knew that women in his village were not able to live upto their potential and were not gainfully employed.  Soon, he reached his village. After being welcomed by the villagers, he had a face to face meeting with the Panchayat and asked for their suggestions on how to employ the womenfolk so that their household work does not get disturbed while they work. Buoyed by the noble thoughts of the Ex-Serviceman, Panchayat offered him various suggestions. Among those suggestions, the idea that Sunil liked the most was that of setting up a small scale Utensils factory.

Soon, Sunil Singh started researching about the process of setting up the Utensil factory, talked to raw material suppliers and the machines required. He gauged the sentiment of the villagers and he was happy to know that many of them, especially womenfolk were ready to work in the factory at nominal wages. He gauged the heavy demand for such utensils in the nearby cities and towns. Sunil was delighted, he had a mission in life and on paper, and everything seemed to be right in place!

Finally, he got down to the financial requirements of the small scale utensils factory and he realized that he didn’t have enough savings to start the factory on his own. The amount of capital investment, operational expenses and unforeseen expenses seemed too big for his pocket! He knew he had to avail a business loan for the venture. Since he had served in the Indian Army for 2 decades and during that he didn’t feel the need to avail a loan so he had a low credit history. With a low credit history and a negative CIBIL score, his loan plea was turned down by all the banks in his vicinity.

Disappointed with the state of affairs, he approached the Panchayat members for some ideas and encouragement. One of the Panchayat members informed him about his son who had availed loan from Prest Loans (www.prestloans.com) to set up his business unit in the heart of Delhi. On enquiring further, Sunil gathered that Prest Loans provides loans to Idea-preneurs not just based on the financial score but also other factors. He checked up the website of Prest Loans and gathered that Ex-servicemen were valued and respected at Prest Loans and were being offered various incentives in the form of Zero Processing fee for Business loans and Lower Interest rate for Business loan. Immediately, he visited the Prest Loans’ website and applied for a business loan. Within a few minutes, a Prest Loans representative called up Sunil and understood his entire business plan and offered him the most favorable loan offering. Prest Loans helped Sunil complete the required paperwork seamlessly and within 72 hours, Sunil Singh had the loan amount credited in his account. Thus, Sunil Singh realized that Prest Loans was indeed true to its motto of timely approval, less paperwork and quick loan disbursal!

Within a few weeks, he was able to give shape to his dream and set up a small scale utensil factory and provided employment to the villagers, especially the women in his village. Furthermore, his intention and zeal was highlighted in the local press and he became a mini celebrity!