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 today called for change of mindset to avail StartUp opportunities knocking at their door.

Speaking after inaugurating the “Young Start-Up Conclave” at Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir organised by CSIR, Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the government job mind-set is proving an impediment to Start-Up culture, mainly in North India.

Referring to Four Success Stories of Youths, who narrated their experiences, including two B-Techs and one Mechanical Engineer, who quit their jobs for Start-Up Ventures, Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that “Purple Revolution” spearheaded by him through CSIR became part of the Republic Day Parade Tableaux, thus earned countrywide recognition and popularity.

Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that the ‘Purple Revolution’ originating from Jammu & Kashmir offers attractive Start-Up avenues and those who have entered the lavender sector are making a fortune out of it. He said, it is important to take note of some of the exemplary instances of many young entrepreneurs who are seen quitting their lucrative jobs in the MNCs to establish their own Start-Ups, as these young entrepreneurs are now beginning to realise the possibility of greater fortunes in this.

The Minister also underlined that J&K has huge unexplored potential of Agri-tech Start-ups as the geography and climatic conditions here favour the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants.

Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the Biotech KISAN Hub has rejuvenated over 40 orchards till date in Jammu and Kashmir under rejuvenation of apple orchards, where a very innovative methodology has been used to transform the old orchards. The Minister promised full help by DBT and CSIR for setting up of Agritech Start-ups.

The Minister exhorted the Youth of Jammu and Kashmir not to miss the Start-Up Bus, which is playing a crucial role in India’s Technological & Economic Journey to emerge as a Frontline Nation in the World.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the Start-Up ecosystem in India has gathered momentum since Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the slogan of Start-Up India and Stand-Up India from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15^th August, 2015. He said, from 350 odd start-ups in 2014, the number swelled to 75,000 in August, 2022 and now stands at over 88,000 Start-Ups spread across 653 districts and generated more than Nine Lakh job opportunities in the country. The Minister said, India is also home to 107 Unicorns and 23 of them emerged in 2022 itself, a sign of India’s rapid upward ride on STI (Science, Technology & Innovation) ladder.

The Minister pointed out that a new wave of Agri-tech Start-Ups has emerged in the country in the last few years and these Start-Ups are solving problems related to supply chain management, cooling and refrigeration, seed management and distribution, besides helping farmers to access a wider range of markets.

In the next 25 years of Amrti-Kal, said Dr Jitendra Singh, Jammu & Kashmir and several hill territories as well as the Himalayan States are going to make a significant value edition to build India’s future economy because these are the territories whose resources have remain under-utilised in the past. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving a focussed attention to these areas, they are going to play a pivotal role in placing India on the world pedestal by 2047, he said.

Earlier, Dr. Singh also took round of the StartUp kiosks set up by the entrepreneurs of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and other parts of the country besides the models setup by the students from different educational institutions of Kathua.

DDC Vice Chairman, Sh. Raghunandan Singh Babloo, Director CSIR-IIIM, Jammu Dr. D. Srinivasa Reddy, DC Kathua, Sh. Rahul Pandey, SSP Kathua, Sh. Shivdeep Singh Jamwal, Principal GDC Kathua, Sh. Somnesh Jasrotia were present in the conclave.

The conclave witnessed the presence of renowned entrepreneurs, industry leaders, academicians, representatives of leading venture capital firms, incubators and accelerators.

During the conclave, the local progressive farmers also shared their success stories and experience and expressed gratitude to CSIR for making it possible through proper hand holding and considerable support in their endeavors.

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SNC/AP/MA/RR