The startup culture in India has been rapidly shaping into a phenomenon, and with PM Modi propelling the movement with the launch of the Startup India initiative; there is a significant push for the cause by state governments across the country. Odisha government has now joined the movement, developing the startup ecosystem in the State. To promote the same, the Orissa government has signed an MoU with InvestIndia launching Startup Odisha helpline and lucrative offers for aspiring entrepreneurs and startups to avail hands-on assistance.
The helpline – 18003457100 – is aimed at providing a platform to all stakeholders of the startup ecosystem in the state. Entrepreneurs, incubators and the likes can get easy redressal of queries, fundraising assistance, idea validation and company incorporation through this.
Focusing on the ‘Ease of Starting Up’, the policies have been revised from the pre- existing ones of Odisha Startup Policy 2016. A sustenance allowance of INR 20,000 per month has been put in place alongside monetary assistance for new product development and marketing of up to Rs. 15 lakh.
With the MoU in place, the Startup India Learning & Development Module will now be extended to Odiya language too. Startup Odisha portal will also be developed by NIC with Startup India providing knowledge support.
To improve the infrastructure of incubators, the government will provide a matching grant of up to Rs 1 cr. A unique step that the Odisha government has taken is to match grants up to Rs. 5 cr wherein the contributors are from alumni, philanthropic organisations and industry bodies.
“I am sure the partnership between Start-up Odisha Initiative and Start-up India Hub run by Invest India will help us achieve the Mission 1000 Start-ups by 2020 and help youths realise their dreams,” said Patnaik.
InvestIndia will provide knowledge support for the development of the MSME sector focusing on food processing, agro-processing and spices. Abheet Dwivedi and Navpreet Randhawa, both managers at InvestIndia, will share assistance with setting up the startup portal along with startup policy advocacy, and operating guidelines.
Further, the MoU will enable networking between startups in Odisha and the global startup ecosystem. The state would also be looking to emulate global best practices. Through the platform, all stakeholders of the startup ecosystem, including the government, can now interact.
Source: Plunge
