Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched the ‘India Water Pitch-Pilot-Scale Start-up Challenge’ on Saturday, under which the government will select 100 startups and provide each with a funding support of Rs 20 lakh.
This follows Prime Minister Modi’s launch of AMRUT 2.0 in October of last year.
Speaking at the event, Puri emphasised the importance of startups and assured them of the government’s full and active support. He stated that startups are the flavour of the season, citing the fact that the number of unicorns in the country has increased by leaps and bounds.
According to the Minister, the success of the government’s schemes is heavily dependent on the role and contribution of stakeholders and others in the ecosystem. The responses of stakeholders in the water sector are critical for formulating Government programmes because they know what the actual need is, according to Puri, who added that AMRUT 2.0 is a transformative and unique scheme with a massive outlay of over 2.77 lakh crore.
He stated that the scheme will ensure the country’s water security, lower transportation costs, reduce groundwater contamination, and increase water utilisation capacity.
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A video message from Kaushal Kishore, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, followed the launch. Kishore believes that inviting startups to be partners under the technology sub-mission is a promising initiative that will aid in the resolution of the country’s urban water problems.
Cabinet has approved a technology sub-mission that seeks to engage startups as “technology partners” under AMRUT 2.0. The mission is to enable startups in the water/used-water sector to grow through innovation and design, resulting in long-term economic growth and job creation. Under this initiative, the Ministry will select 100 start-ups that will receive a grant of Rs. 20 lakhs as well as mentorship.
