Piyush Goyal says Govt thinks like a startup… focusing on newer, better ideas

It aims to improve efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, transparency and integrity of systems and processes.

While addressing the National Startup Awards 2022, the minister congratulated all the winners and expressed hope that the Award will inspire them to further expand their horizons.

Applauding PM Modi as being both a generator and incubator of brilliant innovations to address the challenges that ‘we as a nation face’, Goyal said under his visionary leadership, the idea of startup India had taken root throughout the length and breadth of the nation.

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Goyal noted that the Prime Minister Modi placed great focus on speed, skill and scale in the execution of projects. Citing the example of Digital India Mission launched in 2015, he said that early on, PM Modi had recognised that unless Digital India was taken to the remotest corners of the country, the vision of equitable development wouldn’t become a reality, according to a statement from the ministry of commerce and industry.

The minister, who also handles the Union ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and textiles portfolios, said that the government came up with highly impactful innovations like COWIN app, One Nation, One Ration Card (ONORC), PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, UPI — which has powered so many startups and unicorns, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and JAM Trinity.

The minister appreciated the MAARG portal and said that it would help focus, refine and fine-tune ideas. Referring to the MAARG portal, the Minister said that the focus of the government is to simplify the interaction of citizens with the government. In line with this approach of the government, PM Modi had removed the need to notarise documents, placing trust in the common man and this has never been misused, he noted. He urged startups to give suggestions to improve processes to make it simple and economic. He also mentioned that over 39,000 compliances have been reduced, he asked for suggestions on what more can be decriminalised to reduce compliance burden.

A ‘National Startup Awards 2022 Report’ was also released on the occasion on Monday. The report provides detailed insight into the support provided to previous National Startup Awards recognized startups and the National Startup Awards 2022 winners.

The MAARG platform which stands for mentorship, advisory, assistance, resilience, and growth was also launched during the felicitation ceremony today. This platform is envisioned to facilitate mentorship between startups and entrepreneurs across sectors, stages, and functions. There are over 600 mentors and over 800 startups registered on the platform currently. The portal will now allow for live matchmaking of mentors with startups, according to the ministry statement.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) conceived the National Startup Awards to recognise and reward outstanding startups. The awards recognise exceptional startups across various categories that provide innovative solutions which lead to large-scale employment and sustainable economic development. Thirty-six startups, one incubator, and one accelerator were recognised as winners in their respective categories.

The third edition of the National Startup Awards was launched on February 1, 2022. In line with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, National Startup Awards 2022 acknowledges startups and enablers who have been instrumental in revolutionising the development story of India and in demonstrating exceptional capabilities not just in terms of financial gains but also for the measurable impact on society.

National Startup Awards 2022 focused extensively on diversity, inclusion, and innovation, according to the ministry of commerce and industry. The sectors and sub-sectors covered under the National Startup Awards 2022 have been increased to 17 and 50, respectively, from the previous editions, thereby increasing the coverage of the startup ecosystem. Two sectors, five sub-sectors, and two special categories have been added to this edition. Manufacturing excellence and startups from Northeast and hilly states and Union Territories are the two new special categories added to further encourage startups.

A total of 2,667 applications were received from startups, incubators, and accelerators from 31 states and Union Territories across the country, according to the ministry. These applications were screened and evaluated by more than 50 jury members. These jury members include senior government officials, venture capitalists, startup CEOs, Industry stalwarts, and renowned educationists, among others. 

(With inputs from ANI)