Srinagar, Jun 30 (UNI) Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that a change in mindset and exploration of local resources is key for start-ups in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at the concluding ceremony of a two-day national conference on ‘Role of Academic-Led Startups in Jammu and Kashmir’s Developing Economy (RASE-2024)’ held at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar, he said the startup movement in India has accelerated significantly in the last decade.
He said the credit for this goes primarily to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called for “Start Up India, Stand Up India” from the ramparts of the Red Fort in his independence speech a decade ago.
At that time, there were just 350-400 startups in India, he recalled, but now the number has grown to 150,000, with India ranking third in the world in terms of the number of startups.
The Union Minister said that in the past few years, startup activity has not been progressing at the same pace in the region.
This is because in some states and union territories like Jammu and Kashmir, government jobs or ‘sarkari naukri’ have been the primary source of livelihood for decades, which has influenced the mindset of youngsters and parents, he said.
“Hence, it is important to create awareness that ‘rozgar’ (employment) does not simply mean Sarkari Naukri and that some startup avenues can be more lucrative compared to salaried government jobs,” he said.
Stressing on the need to explore resources in the region, Singh said, “When we talk about startups, somehow we tend to stick to IT, but in a region like Jammu and Kashmir, the agriculture sector should be the main area for startups.”
He said that to begin with, various institutes across J&K like CSIR, IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, SKIMS, SKUAST, NIT Srinagar and Government Medical Colleges can come together and work on joint start-up ventures.
The Minister told the audience that a fundamental shift in thinking was needed to propel the Indian economy towards the goal of a ‘developed India’ by 2047.
He stressed on the importance of connecting academic institutions like SKIMS Soura, AIIMS, IITs, IIMs and GMCs with industry partners to ensure sustainable growth and foster a supportive environment for start-ups.
Singh also reaffirmed the Department of Science and Technology’s commitment to supporting startups and highlighted his government’s efforts to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship across sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.
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