Atul Kumar and Kumar Ankit

Jamshedpur, May 19: This weekend, Nitish Kumar’s state will take a big leap towards bolstering its industrial image, thanks to two management graduates.

Bihar boys Kumar Ankit of XLRI and Atul Kumar of IIM-Ahmedabad will launch the Bihar Entrepreneurship Network (BEN) at Bodh Gaya on May 21-22 with an aim to create a vibrant platform for businessmen there. The inaugural event, BENCON2011, will see a panel discussion on energy, health, real estate, e-governance, education and business plan workshops. Madhukar Shukla, a senior professor of XLRI and pioneer of social entrepreneurship in India, has been made the mentor-cum-patron of BEN.

Kumar Ankit (23) — a resident of Gaya who passed XLRI’s flagship business management course this year and is now into an energy business — said they floated BEN to promote Bihar’s interests globally. “Bihar is changing for good. Infrastructure development is taking place. People of Bihar are hardworking and are trying for plum jobs like the IAS, but entrepreneurship has never been a career choice for them. In fact, the state does not have a climate for entrepreneurship. We will try to promote that through this network,” said Ankit, executive director of Bihar-based Green Leaf Energy Private Limited.

Atul Kumar, who completed business management from IIM-Ahmedabad in 2001 and is now the head of operations of Not for Profit Focus in Jersey City, the US, said he had formed Bihar Society with the help of a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives and senior professionals to represent the state’s aspirations and needs.

“BEN aims at creating an eco-system and a platform for entrepreneurs in Bihar with active participation of global Biharis. We will try and rope in budding entrepreneurs and also established businessmen for setting up enterprises in Bihar,” said Atul who hails from Patna.

The panel discussion of BENCON2011 on May 21 will be attended by Shukla; Nitish Mishra, minister of rural development, Bihar; Vijoy Prakash, principal secretary of planning and development, Bihar; and U.S. Pandey, deputy general manager (business development) of BPCL and stalwart in the field of renewable energy among others.