Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday addressed The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE) Global Summit and shared Delhi Government's efforts in building a comprehensive framework and turning Delhi into a global start-up destination.
Addressing the summit, he said that there are over 7000 startups in Delhi, which makes Delhi having the highest number of active startups in the country with an estimated valuation of about $50 billion.
Kejriwal said that the Delhi government is committed to providing world-class infrastructure and services for start-ups and businesses in Delhi which includes power supply, roads, public transport, water supply, education, and health infrastructure. Kejriwal said that the Delhi government is at an advanced stage of rolling out a start-up policy.
“The policy is being developed to layout provisions to facilitate start-ups in Delhi after widespread consultations with TiE Delhi and leading entrepreneurs. The Delhi government plans to provide collateral-free loans and set up a dedicated helpline for startups to address their concerns and help them use the government's doorstep service. The government is taking unprecedented short and long-term steps to ensure start-ups have access to the best quality human capital in Delhi itself through Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum in schools and Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University,” he added.
“According to a September 2019 TiE report, there are over 7000 startups from the Delhi-NCR region. This makes Delhi as the region with the highest number of active startups in the country. It is estimated that the valuation of the city’s start-ups is about 50 billion dollars. The region has also produced about 13 unicorns like PayTM, Oyo, and Zomato. At least one new unicorn has been emerging each year since 2013. Between January and June, 2020, 109 startups were founded in Delhi-NCR, the highest number of startups being founded in the first six months of 2020 in India,” he added.
"The Delhi government is also setting up a high-tech business park at Rani Khera in 150-acres land. This will be just 15 minutes away from the Delhi International Airport. It is this first of its kind and will have IT and service industries among others. The park will have green buildings, large size workspaces on every floor, multipurpose business facilities, and pedestrian plazas. It will have retail, food and beverage (F&B) amenities of all kinds.
The Delhi government will develop this first-of-its-kind business park in seven different phases. The first phase of the work will be completed by 31 August 2022. In the first phase, a multistoried building of 15 lakh square feet would be built," said the CM.
The chief minister said, "World-class skill centers will be set up to provide skill-based training and degrees. It will also cater to the students by identifying future-centric jobs. Tool Engineering College of Delhi, GB Pant Engineering College, ITI, and Skill Training Centres will be brought under the ambit of the university. There will also be an industry tie-up unit that will focus on forging strong ties with different industry partners. The unit will facilitate internships, placements, and offer entrepreneurship and start-up opportunities to students who want to start their own businesses.”
“The Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University’s first academic session is expected to start next year in close consultation with companies. The companies will be treated as “customers” in this endeavor so that courses are in tune with industry demand," he added.