Hanging in the balance for seven years, Chandigarh’s much-awaited startup policy will finally be unveiled on Tuesday.
The policy will be a game changer for entrepreneurs and boost economic growth in the UT, said deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, who is also the secretary, industries.
Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria will roll out the policy on April 29, which will be valid for five years. Stakeholders will also be present during the launch.
The policy had first begun taking shape in 2018, two years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Startup India Policy and urged UTs and states to draft their own policies, tailored to the needs of regional entrepreneurs.
But UT’s policy could not take off and missed multiple deadlines due to the administration’s flip-flops.
In August 2023, the issue was raised in the Lok Sabha, with Minister of State for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Som Parkash revealing that Chandigarh has 335 startups, recognised under the Startup India Initiative. UT had earlier planned to launch it by the end of October 2024 but failed to finalise it.