ITANAGAR, 23 Jan: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday mentioned that India’s startup ecosystem has witnessed transformational development over the past decade, with Arunachal Pradesh emerging as a strong and aggressive contributor from the Northeast.
Speaking on the inaugural ceremony of ‘Startup Arunachal Day 2026’, as a part of the ‘Innovation month – 10 years of Startup India’, organised by the planning and funding division, the chief minister recalled that the Startup India initiative was launched by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016, at a time when the variety of startups within the nation was restricted. He mentioned that within the final 10 years, the ecosystem has expanded to over two lakh startups nationwide, with a big presence in Tier-II and Tier-III cities and substantial participation of girls entrepreneurs.
He famous that startups have generated practically 20 lakh direct jobs throughout the nation.
Referring to Arunachal’s journey, Khandu mentioned that the Arunachal Pradesh Innovation and Investment Park (APIIP) was launched in 2020, in the course of the difficult interval of the Covid-19 pandemic. He mentioned the state transformed the disaster into a possibility by means of collective efforts led by the Deputy Chief MinisterChowna Mein, who additionally holds the finance, planning and funding portfolios, the planning division, and the APIIP workforce.
“Since then, the programme has completed five years and has produced several successful entrepreneurial stories from the state,” he mentioned.
Citing examples, Khandu referred to startups that overcame challenges associated to finance and market entry and ultimately scaled up with institutional assist. He mentioned such success tales replicate the potential of the state’s youths, who solely require correct handholding and the appropriate platform.
The chief minister mentioned that Arunachal’s youths have excelled in a number of fields over the previous decade, together with sports activities, music and entrepreneurship. He reiterated that the federal government has been offering seed funding and mentorship beneath the APIIP and introduced that, “based on its performance, the seed funding amount has been doubled.” He additionally introduced that the consumption capability for the upcoming Cohort 5.0 could be doubled.
He additional acknowledged that the federal government has suggested the planning division to determine a bigger area for the APIIP to strengthen its institutional capability. He added that the put up of funding director has already been created to reinforce the startup ecosystem. He introduced that the APIIP could be transformed right into a Section 8 firm beneath the Companies Act to allow entry to enterprise capital, CSR funds, angel investments and nationwide and worldwide monetary establishments for enhanced startup assist.
Emphasising the significance of collaboration, the chief minister urged startups to work intently with universities, larger schooling establishments and analysis our bodies, noting that many options to real-world issues exist already inside tutorial establishments. He additionally highlighted the scope of drone know-how in Arunachal’s mountainous terrain, citing its potential in logistics, healthcare supply and infrastructure assist.
Speaking on broader financial challenges, he mentioned manufacturing stays a nationwide concern, and knowledgeable that the Government of India is contemplating the formation of a high-level committee to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem beneath the Make in India initiative.
He mentioned that “the Northeastern states must collectively identify areas of contribution,” citing examples such as semiconductor manufacturing in Assam and ancillary alternatives for neighbouring states.
Highlighting Arunachal’s power in hydropower, the chief minister mentioned that the state is emerging as a serious energy hub, with round 18,000 mw of hydropower tasks beneath varied phases of improvement, together with a serious venture nearing completion this yr. He careworn the necessity for startups to discover ancillary industries linked to giant investments to enhance price effectivity and venture viability.
The chief minister congratulated the APIIP workforce for being recognised as a best-performing state on the nationwide startup occasion held at Bharat Mandapam, chaired by the prime minister. “The achievement demonstrates that the state can compete with larger states,” he mentioned.
Khandu mentioned that the federal government has signed MoUs with larger schooling establishments to set up startup cells,and introduced that budgetary provisions could be made to present monetary assist to these establishments. He additionally acknowledged that allocations beneath schemes such as the Deendayal Upadhyaya Swavalamban Yojana could be enhanced to facilitate extra entrepreneurs.
Exhorting the youths to utilise the beneficial nationwide startup ecosystem, the CM urged them to stay targeted, optimistic and accountable, together with of their use of digital platforms and social media. He mentioned the position of youths could be important in reaching the imaginative and prescient of a developed India, a developed Northeast, and a developed Arunachal “well before 2047.”
Stressing on teamwork and collaboration, Khandu mentioned improvement targets can solely be achieved by working collectively and never in silos, including that synergy would multiply outcomes. (CM’s PR Cell)
