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Government today thinks like a startup: Union minister Piyush Goyal
Appreciating the MAARG portal, which is a mentorship platform to facilitate mentorship for startups across diverse sectors, the union minister said that it will help focus, refine and fine-tune ideas
Likening the Centre’s approach to that of startups, union minister for commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal lauded the government’s efforts in improving efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, productivity, and integrity of systems.
He added that the government relentlessly focusses on newer and better ideas.
“Many more innovative ideas and initiatives must be nurtured to ensure that the nation grew at a much faster pace than ever before in Amritkaal and to meet the aspirations of a young India. The initiatives taken by the government under the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last few years were timely and had been successful in building the foundation for a powerful, resurgent India, a nationally recognised as an emerging growth story set to drive global growth,” said Goyal in his speech at the ‘National Startup Awards 2022.
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Citing the example of the Digital India Mission launched in 2015, Goyal noted that PM Modi had recognised early on that unless Digital India was taken to the remotest corners of the country, the vision of equitable development won’t become a reality.
He cited initiatives such as Digital India, 4G, and now 5G rollout, and broadband connectivity in villages which furthered the growth of the country’s technology dependent startup ecosystem, especially in the nation’s hinterlands.
Appreciating the MAARG (Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience, and Growth) portal, which is a mentorship platform to facilitate mentorship for startups across diverse sectors, the union minister said that it will help focus, refine and fine-tune ideas.
The portal will assist innovators from remote parts to get access to crucial opportunities and access to the funding ecosystem.
The MAARG platform was launched during the felicitation ceremony on Monday.
The platform aims to facilitate mentorship between startups and entrepreneurs across sectors, stages, and functions.
Currently, there are over 600 mentors, and over 800 startups registered on the platform, as per the Commerce and Industry Ministry. The portal will now enable the matchmaking of mentors with startups, delivering startups the guidance that will help them grow and increase their impact in India and globally, the Ministry noted.
In his address, while reiterating that this is a government that listens and wants to engage with everyone to build the future of India, Goyal laid emphasis on the requirement for a robust database of startups to connect them with the government, industry bodies and the general public efficiently.
While he mentioned that over 39,000 compliances had been reduced for startups, Goyal also urged startups to provide suggestions for improving processes and making them simple and economical.
The minister also underlined the focus of the government to simplify the interaction of citizens with the government.
Adhering to this approach, the PM had removed the need to notarise documents, placing trust in the common man, which has not been misused.
The third edition of the National Startup Awards 2022, which was launched on 1 February 2022, focussed on diversity, inclusion, and innovation.
A total of 2,667 applications were received from startups, incubators, and accelerators from 31 states and union territories across the country.
In the third edition, 41 startups, two incubators, and one accelerator were recognised as winners in their respective categories.
Winners have emerged from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, indicating the spread of the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation across the last mile in the country, the ministry said in a note.
“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,” the ministry noted.
