India’s future rests on startup ecosystem: Punjab Governor

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday underlined the transformative role of start-ups in shaping India’s future. Issuing a clarion call for innovation-led growth at the inaugural session of the CII Chandigarh Startup Conclave 2025, Kataria said, “The answer to what India will be in 2047 lies in India’s start-up ecosystem.”

He emphasised that the Chandigarh Startup Policy 2025 would empower young people not just to earn but to create employment for others, thereby addressing the challenge of job generation.

The Governor urged innovators to strengthen India’s agricultural backbone by driving innovation in agriculture, fisheries and dairy. He drew a parallel between the present startup movement and the liberalisation policy that fuelled India’s rapid economic growth in the 1990s.

Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner and Industries Secretary Nishant Kumar Yadav announced plans to develop Chandigarh into a hi-tech fintech city, modelled on Gujarat’s GIFT City. A detailed proposal will be submitted to the Centre by November for formal approval.

The conclave featured sessions on cultivating a startup mindset, capital strategies for early-stage ventures, bridging innovation gaps and a special session on ‘defence–start-up synergy’.

In a conversation with Ritika Singh, Air Vice-Marshal Ashish Srivastava, Assistant Chief of Air Staff, outlined the process of co-creating solutions with startups for a safer Bharat.

The event also provided a platform for pitching, showcasing and collaboration. Several promising startups, identified in partnership with incubators, had the chance to demonstrate their innovations and relevance to industry and government representatives.