The Union government of India has set a target to cross the one crore job mark in the next two years in three main segments of the digital economy electronics, startups and IT, and ITes, said Ashwini Vaishnav, minister for IT and Communications.
Speaking at an ESC STPI event for startups, Vaishnav said three giant pillars of the digital economy, electronics manufacturing, IT, and ITes, startups, have created 88-90 lakh jobs.
"Government has set a target that in this we should be easily crossing one crore jobs in the coming two years without any doubt,"
He added that the digital economy and its associated employment is a significant trend; the other direction is diversity.
"Earlier, People used to mention names of a couple of cities for startups. Now when I go to schools in villages, children in villages want to set up a startup," said Vaishnav.
He said that the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is creating a plug-and-play infrastructure to provide a platform to startups.
STPI Director General Arvind Kumar, at the event, said that his organization provides the plug-and-play infrastructure in 64 cities for startups, of which 54 are in tier 2 and 3 cities.
"We provide Rs 5-10 lakh seed funds to startups through the center of excellence. Under the Next Generation Incubation Scheme, we fund Rs 25 lakh to startups from tier 2 and 3 cities. We have granted NGIS benefits to around 65 startups, and the target is to fund 300 startups by 2025," Kumar said.
He said that on one side, the government is accelerating support for the startup ecosystem. Simultaneously, it is pushing for a 5G roll-out in the country to provide startup opportunities.
Indian Angel Network founding partner Padmaja Ruparel at the event, shared his interest in partnering with STPI to provide funding and mentoring support to startups.
STPI and Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) have shortlisted 125 startups across the country.
Both entities are fine-tuning the list to 40 startups who will be able to visit the Consumer Electronics Show in the US and showcase their solutions.
"We have partnered with TiE Silicon Valley, where selected startups will pitch for strategic partners or investors in the US. Consulate General of India is also supporting us in connecting to investors in the US," ESC Chairman Sandeep Narula said.
