Maiden startup fair begins in Bhubaneswar for youth, entrepreneurs

BHUBANESWAR: The maiden Startup Mela 2023, organised by Startup Odisha, started in the city from today. The aim of the fair is to orient youth towards startups, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, in a written statement, said, "I am happy that Startup Odisha has been recognized by the Government of India as a top performer. Startup Mela is a great platform that will motivate our students, innovators, and startups to demonstrate Odisha's entrepreneurial zeal, and will inspire the startup culture at the grassroots and institute level."
Inaugurating the mela, MSME minister Pratap Keshari Deb said the mindset of the community should change. "We want entrepreneurs in Odisha. We need to start manufacturing to compete at the national level," Deb said.
The minister said that in another five to seven years, the next industrial hub of the country will be Odisha. "In the recently concluded Make in Odisha conclave, we attracted investment intents worth more than Rs 10 lakh crore," he asserted.
Omkar Rai, executive chairman, Startup Odisha, said they are in the process of revising the startup policy which will be announced soon. "We are going to establish mother tab labs, which will be capable of generating several other fablabs across the state," Rai said.