Start-up Yatra kicks off in Odisha to encourage new ideas and innovation

New Delhi, Feb 8 (KNN) In a search of innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched the Startup India-Odisha Yatra from state Secretariat on Feb 6, 2018.

The yatra will be of one month duration and conclude with a grand finale at Bhubaneswar.

Flagging off the startup yatra van, the Chief Minister said, “The vehicle will cover 60 educational institutions across 16 districts of the state- Khurda, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Balangir, Kalahandi, Koraput, Rayagada and Ganjam.”

Three days intensive acceleration programme will be there for best selected ideas and 50 best innovators will be provided incubation and mentorship support to convert their ideas into startups.

He further mentioned that as of now 175 startups are registered with the startup Odisha initiative and the state is moving towards it’s mission of accomplishing 1,000 startups by 2020.

Therefore ten boot camps will be organized during this period at Fakir Mohan University (Balasore), KIIT University (Bhubaneswar), NIT (Rourkela), Vikram Dev College (Jeypore), VSSUT (Burla), Government Engineering College (Kalahandi), NIST (Berhampur) and BPFTIO (Cuttack) and ideation workshops and idea pitching sessions will be organized for the benefit of innovators and budding/aspiring entrepreneurs.

The winners of the boot camps will be awarded with the cash prizes, legal consultation, advisory services and mentorship support.

The purpose of this Yatra is to create awareness about the startup ecosystem in tier 2/3 towns and encourage the aspiring entrepreneurs and youth to set up their ventures in the state.

Additional Chief Secretary, MSME LN Gupta informed that during the period, startup clubs will also be formed at each of the educational/host institution falling on the yatra route.

These clubs will function under the supervision of a professor in-charge and with at least 3-4 volunteers. (KNN/YV)