Kolkata : The Centre is embarking on a detailed learning and development programme for the budding entrepreneurs and has already received one lakh ten thousand entries for the same. Looking at the huge response on the surge in nascent ideas, the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) would shortly launch a portal connecting all the startup eco systems across the country.
Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar of startups organised by StartFed and BCC&I here, Aastha Grover, advisor (startup), DIPP, said, “We want new ideas to germinate from the state level. And for that, we have come up with this free online learning programme. It is now available in English and Hindi. But, we are so keen on inviting new ideas, we will launch it in all major Indian languages soon. The soft launch of the ecosystem portal has already been made to get views from all the stakeholders. The hard launch will be done shortly.”
Grover said that objective of the portal was to bring all the stakeholders together ranging from collaborators, innovators and funding agencies under the same platform. “We want all to know the proper channel – both administrative as well as business ones – to take business ideas forward,” she added.
However, on the collaboration with the Bengal government and StartFed Bengal, Grover said that she has just elaborated on all Central government policies, regulation and facilities for startups on April 25. “We are yet to come up with any tie-up here. Twelve states had been identified for easy compliance norms where West Bengal did not figure in the list,” she added.
With Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi being the startup hubs of the country with 65% of them getting concentrated in the three cities, places like Jaipur, Hyderabad and Kochi were the new upcoming cities in this space, she said.
The Union cabinet cleared the Fund of Funds for Startups of Rs 10,000 crore for nine years under the Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) in June, 2016 for contribution to various VC funds registered with the Sebi as part of the Start-up India Action Plan unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2016. “An amount of Rs 643 crore had been already disbursed through the VCs. There is another debt credit-guaranteed fund,” Grover said. Nearly 843 startups had been already registered with the DIPP following which they would get certain benefits, Grover said adding these would necessarily have to be either private limited liability or public limited liability parnership companies.
Chief advisor of StartFed Kallol Datta said startup eco-system in the east was less developed than other parts of the country. “Today’s meet showed us a possibility of building up a common platform for mentoring startups in the east. Representatives from the Centre, Bengal, Bihar and Odisha governments have put forward their policies and platforms for budding businesses today. Now, we have to see how we can create a collaborative platform.”
Suman Mukhopadyaya, consultant (entrepreneurship), department of industry, Government of West Bengal, said the state government is yet to come across a single bankable business idea from as many as 264 entries it has received so far. “A platform like StartFed’s job begins here. These platforms can provide right direction to a number of fresh ideas to be fruitful.”
Source: Times of India
