The State government has extended the date of applications for the second edition of the Maharashtra Startup Week from January 5 to January 12. This comes weeks after the government came under criticism for Maharashtra’s placement in the bottom half of the Centre’s State Startup Ranking Report, 2018.
The Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSIS) organises the Maharashtra Startup Week to provide entrepreneurs a platform to showcase their innovative ideas. Startups from sectors such as education, skilling, healthcare, agriculture, clean energy, environment, water and waste water management, smart infrastructure and mobility, governance, financial inclusion, and cyber security will be invited to submit their applications to the MSIS. The week will be held from January 29 to February 1. The first edition of the week was held in July last year.
The State had come under scanner after the Centre’s report released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Of the 38 indicators studied in the report, Maharashtra failed to submit information about 17 and the State stood in the range of 25-50 percentile, taking it to the bottom. The Centre has assigned Gujarat to mentor Maharashtra.
In a bid to make the second edition of the startup week a success, the government is leaving no stone unturned. “The announcement of the week was made in the first week of December and the deadline was January 5. It has now been extended to January 12 to ensure more participation,” an official from the skill development department said.
Under the startup week, 100 finalists will pitch their ideas to the panel of industry experts, investors, and government officials. Of them, 24 winning startups will receive government work orders of up to ₹15 lakh each.
