Ideation of ATFL - Asian Townsville Farms Private Limited
A FLAGSHIP COMPANY OF VETERAN DEFENCE FORCES GROUP
In the late 1980s, while I was nearing the end of my tenure in the Armed Forces and was planning a second career, I was compelled to think of my transition into civilian life and quality of life post-retirement.
I was faced with the challenge of setting up a small business, and it was natural at this critical juncture in my life (when I was going to say goodbye to an active and pleasant service life) to examine closely the success stories of many medium- and large-scale organizations. I realized that the foundational strength of many corporations was based on the expertise of many service personnel. Folks who had served the nation for a large part of their lives, building important skills in the process, were largely responsible for the growth of many businesses.
It also became clear to me that even though service personnel were highly competent, nearly 80% were unsuccessful in establishing their own business. I realized the major reasons were financial constraints and lack of resources. They were thus compelled to continue working as service providers—as employees—rather than be entrepreneurs.
This realisation proved to be my driving force. It inspired me to bring together enterprising people from the defence fraternity who had meritorious skill sets, talent, and some modest financial resources for investment, all waiting to be utilised in the best possible manner. Bringing veterans together under one umbrella to pool project resources became a clear mission for me. This was the way to ensure financial sufficiency and transition to an active, secure, healthy, and dignified life for the defense forces. It was also a clear way to create a support network, as I had experienced in my service, that would be like an extended family.
Guided by the values of caring and sharing and with strong leadership support from Late Gen J M Vohra, PVSM, SM, Ex. DG Armoured Corps (Retd.), I launched the first PSS (Profit Sharing Scheme), wherein 75% of profits would be shared amongst investors and 25% to be retained by the company. Losses, if any, would be borne entirely by the company. The project also created employment opportunities—a way to stay active, meaningful, and useful to other veterans, in addition to those pooling initial resources.
This was the birth of the Veteran Defence Forces Group (VDFG): To ‘Re-Discover the Force Within.’
In our Pathankot township project, Defence Colony, 51 shareholders, or PSS members, earned a return of 700% per annum on their investment. This was a big demonstration of small forces joining together and achieving greater results.
Motivated by the success of this project, another project, Green Orchards, was executed at Palwal, Haryana. The rest is history—37 years old.
Today, VDFG is an organisation geared to providing not just economic strength but also building strong social foundations. A large part of our resources goes towards CSR initiatives, especially the promotion of yoga and wellness and the empowerment of the marginalised sections of the community.
We are proud that our foundation is built on trust, quality, and well-being.
“All Life Is Yoga”
Lt Col Rattan Singh Gaba (Retd.)
Group Chairman