Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday inaugurated the 6th edition of Himalayan Startup Trek 2022 - an annual startup event of IIT Mandi at the IIT Campus. Representatives of stakeholders of the Indian Startup Ecosystem including startups, investors and seasoned entrepreneurs participated in the event.
He also inaugurated IIT Mandi Catalyst Co-Work space and iHub and HCI Foundation Office in the IIT Mandi Campus.
Addressing the people on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort this year has given a slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisaan, Jai Vigyan and Jai Anusandhan’, underlining the importance of technology and research in the present era to make India forge ahead on the path of progress and prosperity. He also appreciated the good work being done by the IIT Mandi since its inception.
Thakur said that Himalayan Startup Trek was symbolic of the emerging startup ecosystem in Himachal Pradesh with immense support from the State Government over the past several years. He said that top startups from the event would be handpicked for incubation support by IIT Mandi Catalyst. Several startups would get an opportunity to pilot their solutions with help from state departments and explore collaboration.
He said that the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Electronics has provided Rs 110 crore for IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation. He said that the Department of Science and Technology, Startup India and Himachal Pradesh Government has also provided an amount of Rs. 70 crore for supporting the startup. He said that out of this amount over Rs. 10 crore has been provided to the IIT Mandi by the State Government.
The CM said that the State Government has taken various steps in the last about five years to create a conducive ecosystem for startups in the State for their growth. He said that youth from the State should capitalize on all the support programs being initiated by the State Government and create sustainable solutions that not only benefit the State but the country. He said that the State Government was also seeking inputs from IIT Mandi to revise the startup policy. He said that the objective was to make it more effective and to provide more benefits to startups.
He said that IIT Mandi was no doubt the best engineering institution in the State and has taken up the responsibility to seed a vibrant startup and innovation ecosystem in the State. He said that it was a pleasure to see IIT Mandi Catalyst continuing the Himalayan Startup Trek with more energy and enthusiasm. He said that with the technological advancements, the research particularly for the welfare of the common man, was far more important for the betterment of society.