Thakur flags off start-up yatra van

Tribune News Service
Shimla, November 15

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, flagging off the start-up yatra van from his official residence Oakover, here on Thursday said ‘Himachal Start-up’ would turn the educated youth from job seekers to job providers. To give support to ‘start-up’ and ‘innovation projects’, the state government would provide assistance to the youth.

The Chief Minister said this scheme was a gift of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the youth which envisaged various incentives for start-ups so as to enable entrepreneurs to succeed in their ventures.

He said that the yatra van would visit various educational institutes of Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Chamba, Kullu and Mandi districts and culminate at IIT-Mandi on November 30.

The scheme also had a provision of creating incubation centres to build capacities, develop networking, establishing necessary infrastructure and generating awareness.

IIT-Mandi, NIT-Hamirpur, agriculture university, Palampur, the Science, Technology and Environment Council, horticulture university, Nauni, Bir Technology Park, HP University, the CSIR, Palampur and the JPUIT, Vaknaghat, have been selected for incubation centres.

Thakur said the basic objective of this scheme was to create self-employment, upgrading the skills of entrepreneurs and provide them support to set up their units under professional guidance. The scheme also aimed at helping and holding entrepreneurs to select viable projects in the potential areas in manufacturing and service sectors and training them to set up start-ups and running them professionally.

He said the key focus areas would be the technology-driven innovation sector, rural infrastructure and facilities, crafts, arts, water and sanitation, renewal energy, healthcare, clean tech, agriculture, horticulture and related areas, food-processing, retail, tourism and hospitality, mobile, IT and biotechnology.

The Chief Minister also launched the first start-up of the state ‘localguy.in’ developed by Anuj Sharma.

Industries Minister Bikram Singh Thakur urged students to come forward with ideas to start their own ventures.

Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj, MP Ram Swaroop Sharma and other dignitaries were also present.