Mangaluru: Union Minister for Defense, Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, December 29, inaugurated India’s first government-owned start-up Incubation Center for Entrepreneurship Opportunities and Learning in Dakshina Kannada at Mallikatta, Mangaluru.
After the inauguration, addressing the gathering, Nirmala Sitaraman said, “Dakshina Kannada is an educational hub and is a fertile ground for talents. We need to nurture and foster the spirit of innovation and support our youth when they try to bring an idea to fruition. The incubation center will be run by a society which will be headed by the Deputy Commissioner. The entire process will run transparently.”
“As the administration has taken up interest in this project it was able to materialize the project very soon. Fund of Rs 1.5 crore from the MPLADS has been granted for this project and owing to the involvement of everyone, this project have been completed,” she added.
Lauding the district, she said Dakshina Kannada is one of the fortunate districts with immense young talents and the district has a history of achieving a lot in the field of education. As there was no startup center, the young talents are going to Bengaluru for proper opportunities. Hence, Mangaluru was the right place to be chosen for a startup center.
She urged every youth of the district to make use of the available facilities in the startup center. 55 schools have been selected by NITI Aayog to establish Atal Tinkering Laboratories under the Atal Innovation Mission, in the Coastal Karnataka districts including Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. “We will also chose two colleges in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada for the advanced labs Center for Excellence. We have already chosen NITK and NITTE institutions, to make it ‘Innovation Hubs’, she said”
She also said that the Deputy Commissioner should make sure that the startup center should bring in venture capitalists, they should come and interact with the startups and fund startups. There should also be appropriate mentors who are specialists in various sectors like agriculture, naval technology, engineering, hospitality. Along with the KCCI, the other industries should also interact with the startups.
In their speech, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and MLA JR Lobo thanking the minister for initiative of setting up startup center in Mangaluru, demanded the minister to sanction a ‘Sanik School’, ‘Reserve Police Center’ and a Coast Guard Center to district from the Union government.
During the occasion Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil, ZP President Meenakshi Shanthigodu, MCC Commisioner Nazer and KCCI President Vatika Pai others were present.
