April 10, 2023

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that StartUps in India grew 300 times in the last 9 years. Dr Jitendra Singh was speaking at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan where “National Innovation Awards”, instituted by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology, were presented to “Grassroot Innovators” by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. The Minister said that there were just around 350 StartUps before 2014, but after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the clarion call from the ramparts of the Red Fort in his Independence Day address and rolled out special StartUp scheme in 2016, there has been a quantum jump in StartUps to more than 90,000 with more than 100 Unicorns. Dr Jitendra Singh further added that simultaneously Prime Minister Modi opened up the Space sector for private participation leading to more than 100 StartUps in the Space sector within just about three years. Similarly, Biotech StartUps went up from around 50 to nearly 6,000, he said. Dr Jitendra Singh said that India had no dearth of talent, capability, innovation and creativity in the youth, but they were lacking a favourable milieu and proper patronage from the political leadership which was provided by Prime Minister Modi, and it is also now evident that we have so much of innovative talent even in our rural youth and there is no linkage between formal education degree and innovation capabilities which is evident from the awards given today. He added that this issue was also sought to be addressed by Prime Minister Modi by bringing in National Education Policy 2020 which gives emphasis to skill and not only to the academic degrees and prepares the individual for earning livelihood according to his or her aptitude and skill. The Minister mentioned that the nature of the awards given today and the profile of the awardees proves that a large number of “Grassroot Innovators” are available in India who may not have a very high formal education but who are capable of creating success stories and also generating attractive means of livelihoods for themselves. Dr Jitendra Singh appreciated the efforts of the Department of Science and Technology and National Innovation Foundation (NIF) for organising the “Festival of Innovation & Entrepreneurship” (FINE) and noted that it is a unique effort to promote Science, Technology and Innovation even among those who may not be highly educated in the formal sense or may have not even be science students but who possess inherent talent and inborn aptitude for innovation and entrepreneurship, which also may become a source of livelihood for them. The awards were presented in different categories, namely national level, State level and student category. Two of the recipients today had already been awarded Padma Shri for their innovations. 10 APR 2023 2:40PM by PIB Delhi

Draft ‘Sagarmala Innovation and Start-up Policy’ issued for Stakeholder Consultation Draft Policy aims to harness new technology developed by Indian Start-ups and entrepreneurs PM Narendra Modi termed startups as “backbone” of new India, continuing the same spirit through this policy, MoPSW is taking initiatives to promote start-ups through creativity and innovation: Shri Sarbananda Sonowal 10 APR 2023 4:35PM by PIB Delhi A nation’s growth is augmented by start-ups and entrepreneurs. In order to build a strong innovation ecosystem, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) issued draft on ‘Sagarmala Innovation and Start-up Policy’. This draft policy aims at nurturing start-ups and other entities to co-create the future of India’s growing maritime sector. This entails intensive collaboration of the organizations to build a strong eco-system facilitating innovation and Startups in the country that will drive sustainable growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. This enhances the cooperation and coordination between academic institutions, public sector, private sector and convergence of different schemes and programs to groom fresh ideas and approaches to resolve the issues and challenges to boost up the efficiency in the areas of operation, maintenance, and infrastructure development. Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister, MoPSW stated: “the start-up India policy is the brainchild of PM Modi and this is the right step taken by MoPSW to create a strong ecosystem for fostering start-ups and innovation in the nation. This will surely promote innovation and entrepreneurship. Through this policy, MoPSW wants to enable start-ups to grow and prosper through innovations” The designed framework enables the distribution of responsibilities and benefits among the various stakeholders. This is not only limited to the existing stakeholders but also includes upcoming young entrepreneurs with innovative ideas. Draft policy has identified several key areas for the startup to flourish including decarbonization, optimizing processes through data, maritime education, multi-modal transportation, manufacturing, alternate/ advance materials, maritime cybersecurity, smart communication and marine electronics. Details of draft ‘Sagarmala Innovation and Start-up Policy’: Digital Portal based selection of startups ensuring a transparent process Grants to create a minimum viable product/ services (MVP), commercialization of proprietary technology including market entry or scaling up Creation of ‘Launch pads’ at Ports for carrying out trials, facilitating pilot projects, establishing working space and adopting products and solutions Annual Start-up Awards in the maritime sector recognizing distinguished efforts of innovation Organizing Buyer-Seller Meetings and providing Technical Knowledge Support for VCs Guidance to Non Registered Start-ups and Individuals with promising ideas in Maritime Sector including registration of start-up and availing Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recognition Regulatory support in Tenders and Sub-contracting Legal and accountancy back up to start-ups for IP-Patent filing, Company registration, annual filings and closures The promotion of start-ups shall be through development of Maritime Innovation Hubs (MIH) which shall perform the following functions: Develop incubators and accelerators with state of the art facilities to cover all aspects of the startup journey from idea to scaled product. Develop centralized repository containing all pertinent information to assist emerging entrepreneurs Attract investment for eligible start-up businesses and innovative maritime technology Entrepreneur development through ‘know-how’ sessions about the various aspects of the maritime industry and launching of innovation focused programs Collaborate with national & international stakeholders for mentorship, knowledge sharing and facilitate access to global subject matter experts, serial entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors with the potential to get their entry and scaling in the India MoPSW feels proud to share that over the span of 8 successful years of Sagarmala, maritime sector has captured all the possible opportunities for the port-led development. Now, this policy will also create a field to establish a long-term action plans, network, infrastructure, and other resources to build a robust maritime innovation ecosystem.