KOCHI: NITI Aayog's Aspirational Districts Programme list has named Wayanad, the lone district from Kerala, among 112 others from rest of the country. This has come as a boon for the district which is now being considered by Startup India, the flagship initiative of the Central government to build a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in the country, as the next startup hub in the state.
This was disclosed by Mamatha Venkatesh, head of Startup India, on the sidelines of the Kerala Innovation Festival organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in Kochi on Friday.
On how Startup India zeroed in on Wayanad as the place for the next startup hub, Mamatha says, “We pick up the districts that have the potential for the startup ecosystem to grow from the list of aspirational districts released by NITI Aayog.”
According to Mamatha, Startup India will work closely with the state government to ensure that Wayanad becomes the next startup hub. She explained, "We are working with other departments like Athmanirbar Bharat regarding aspirational districts. Our focus is on developing startup incubation centres in Tier II and Tier III cities. For Wayanad, we will be having numerous brainstorming sessions with the state government, as it is the state bodies that must develop clear plans and initiatives for establishing and nurturing startup incubation centres in the district."
According to her, if the state pushes for Wayanad to have more incubation centres, then they should have some Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), which are a privately pooled investment vehicle set up or registered in India, to come and invest in the district. “Everything depends on how we tap the energy and make the district grow further. This is going to be a collective effort,” she adds.
With various success stories of young innovators and entrepreneurs with initiatives focused on sustainable agriculture and eco-tourism, the district is catching the eye of those closely associated with the startup ecosystem in the country.
Some of the startups like Nithin M Joy's BoTToB Tech Solutions, which focuses on solar cookers and hydroponics farming, and Seshadri Sivakumar, revolutionising saffron indoor cultivation using aeroponics at LNS AgriTech, are some of the examples. These young innovators are not only building successful businesses but also contributing to the local community and economy.