A month after it was flagged off with much fanfare, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Startup India Yatra in Maharashtra has shortlisted 352 future entrepreneurs and unicorns from the State’s rural areas. The grand finale was held in Nagpur on Saturday.
The Yatra was flagged off by Union Minister Suresh Prabhu on October 3, after it completed a successful run in several other States, officials said. “We have successfully held boot camps looking for ideas and talent in the rural start-up system in 14 districts. The conclusion [on Saturday] was a two-day incubator camp in Nagpur,” Aseem Gupta, Principal Secretary, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Development, Maharashtra, told The Hindu.
The Maharashtra leg of the Yatra was conducted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Invest India, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Department, Government of Maharashtra and Maharashtra State Innovation Society. Organised under the Startup India initiative, ‘Startup India Yatra’ is a Tier 2/3 initiative that travels to small cities of the country in search of entrepreneurial talent, provide them an opportunity to get incubated, and help develop a startup ecosystem.
The Startup India Yatra van in Maharashtra was equipped with facilities for individuals and startups to pitch their ideas, and travelled to 14 districts, with 23 van stops and 14 boot camps. Some of the camps were at Aurangabad, Beed, Solapur, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Pune, Hingoli, Akola, Chandrapur and Nagpur. The 23 van stops included Malegaon, Dhule, Jalgaon, Shirdi, Kalyan and Nanded, officials said.
Officials said the Yatra aims to support a startup culture in the region and reach out to the hinterland to pick startups. The Maharashtra contingent included representatives from 24 startups shortlisted earlier this year by the State. The State has signed Letters of Intent with these startups for work orders worth ₹15 lakh as part of the Maharashtra Startup Week. They are collaborating with the government in areas such as infrastructure, healthcare, defence and environment.