BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Government’s startup initiative received appreciation at the Startup India States’ Conference at New Delhi on Tuesday.Among the upcoming states, Odisha was described as a role model because of the progress it has achieved in a short span. Organised by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the conference was attended by participants from 21 states.
The State Government was lauded for having a dedicated policy, portal and helpline to give a fillip to the Startup ecosystem. In the last two months, as many as 112 Startups have been recognised by the Startup Odisha Initiative while 15 are eligible for monthly allowance and one for product development grant.
Additional Chief Secretary MSME Department LN Gupta was also asked to deliver a presentation at the inaugural ceremony of the conference which was attended by Union Minister of State for Commerce CR Choudhury and Secretary, DIPP, Ramesh Abhishek.
In his presentation, Gupta said, Odisha provides the best benefits to Startup initiatives. The monthly allowance grant of `20,000, product development grant of `15 lakh and incubator matching grant of `5 crore are the highest in the country.
Besides, under Odisha initiative, Startups are not insisted to operate solely and are allowed to function outside too but stress is on generating at least 50 per cent employment here.
Similarly, the initiative has received over 1,000 calls through the dedicated helpline for support and assistance.
Amazon Web Service (AWS) is planning to offer $1000 worth cloud credit to all Odisha-based Startups which have received support under the Odisha Startup Initiative.