Exhorting the aspiring entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to set up startups in Uttarakhand, the Skill Development minister Saurabh Bahuguna said that proximity to national capital and fast improving connectivity are the USPs for the State. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has special affinity towards the State due to which Uttarakhand is on the fast track of development. The minister was addressing a session on Startups on the second day of Global Investors Summit-2023 in FRI on Saturday. He said that the State has made its policies in accordance with the wishes of the investors and entrepreneurs due to which the State is fast emerging as a hub of startups. Bahuguna said that the State is now in the top five states of the country in the field of startups. He informed that the state had only four start ups in the year 2016 which now have increased to 950. Under the new start up policy 2023, an assistance of Rs one crore will be given for opening new incubation centres while on expansion of already existing incubation centres a sum of Rs 50 lakh will be given under the new policy. 

 The  minister said that the State has also recently formulated Drone promotion and usage policy, IT/ ITeS service sector policy-2023 and data centres, service sector policy-2023. He said that the entrepreneurs will get help in getting various clearances from the single window system and assured that the State administration will provide every possible help to them.

 The Minister said that grounding of projects worth Rs 44,000 crore on the day one of the summit is very significant for the State whose annual budget is about Rs 65,000 crore.