In the world of modernization, there are many large factories and mills with big machines, smoking chimneys and hundreds and thousands of workers. The condition of cottage industries in India is not very good. Every effort should be made in order to revive cottage industries. It is also not possible toestablish large industries everywhere. At the same time, cottageindustries can start at the home. After getting a brief account on the cottage industries in India it can be concluded that both industries are essential for the development of the nation. Small-scale and cottage industries are indispensable for India’s economic resilience, employment generation, and cultural preservation. However, they are consistently challenged by structural weaknesses spanning financial access, technological adoption, market linkages, and infrastructural deficits. Addressing these multifaceted issues requires a concerted effort from both the government and private sector through targeted policy interventions, credit facilitation, skill development, and promotion of digital integration. Empowering these industries to overcome their challenges is crucial not only for their survival but also for achieving balanced regional development and sustaining India’s journey towards an inclusive and robust economy. The silver lining in this unending circle of examinations is that some entrepreneurs have discovered an opportunity. The young girl stopped me during my morning walk, asking me if there was a cyber-cafe nearby. She was carrying an infant, and her husband was walking behind her with a huge backpack. She had come from Prayagraj and had lost her wallet with her Aadhaar card in the train. She needed to download and print out a copy so that she could appear for the exam. I told her the way to the shop, but added that it would possibly be closed so early on a cold and foggy morning. The exam was a computer-based test conducted by the Staff Selection Commission for the recruitment of 7,500 Delhi Police constables. The centre was a school in our colony whose owners have figured out that hosting entrance and recruitment exams is big business. The exams were held for 15-days in multiple shifts, which meant that all through the day, the whole neighbourhood was taken over by thousands of candidates and their relatives who had come with them. The collateral effect of this jamboree was a huge uptick in local business. Makeshift tea-stalls, chaat and bhelpuri carts, shared autos and cabs as well as bike taxis thronged the place through the day. And since the testing agencies have decided that the candidate needs to go through as much inconvenience as possible, the assigned exam centre is rarely in or even near one’s hometown. This, of course, meant that candidates usually had to come a day in advance and spend the night in a Dharamshala or a cheap OYO hotel. The train/bus fare, the local transport by cabs/autos, the cost of boarding and lodging must all be adding up. And this was just one exam at one centre. If one takes the number of examinations conducted by the various agencies (UPSC, SSC, NTA, railways, defence services, public service commissions of various