adhya Pradesh’s Minister for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Chaitanya Kashyap asserted that the state will become the best startup hub in the country within the next two years. He made the statement during the concluding ceremony of ‘Navonmesh 2025,’ Central India’s largest innovation carnival, organized by the Atal Incubation Centre-Rabindranath Tagore University (AIC-RNTU) at Scope Global Skills University on Wednesday.
The minister emphasized India’s rich history of entrepreneurship before the arrival of the Mughals and the British. "Before foreign invaders and colonial rulers arrived, India’s economy contributed about 25% to the world’s GDP. Our artisans excelled in crafts, silk, and metalwork, with traders taking Indian products worldwide," Kashyap said. "However, the invaders and British policies destroyed our industries, forcing us into a job-seeking mentality. Today, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, we are reviving that entrepreneurial spirit. With our comprehensive startup policy and a ?100 crore fund, we are working toward making Madhya Pradesh the best startup state in the nation."
Kashyap also lauded the efforts of RNTU Chancellor Santosh Choubey, recognizing his contributions to fostering innovation long before the term "startup" became widespread.
The event was graced by prominent dignitaries, including RNTU Chancellor Santosh Choubey, Scope Global Skills University Chancellor Siddharth Chaturvedi, AIC-RNTU Director Nitin Vats, Madhya Pradesh Startup Centre Executive Head Abha Rishi, RNTU Vice-Chancellor Prof. R.P. Dubey, and SGSU Vice-Chancellor Vijay Singh.
Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Private University Regulatory Commission, Bharat Sharan, emphasized the concept of "Production by the Masses" over "Mass Production." He underscored the vital role of youth in realizing the vision of "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (Self-Reliant India), encouraging them to engage in entrepreneurial ventures.
Speaking on the critical link between education and industry, RNTU Chancellor Santosh Choubey highlighted the importance of integrating production and entrepreneurship within educational institutions. "The New Education Policy promotes the establishment of production and entrepreneurship centers in universities to drive economic growth. We started working on this vision five years ago by fostering industry-academia partnerships," Choubey said. "With the support of NITI Aayog, we established AIC-RNTU and have incubated 135 startups, many of which have secured multi-crore funding.
