Delhi Cabinet Greenlights ₹400 Crore Startup Policy to Boost Innovation
The Delhi Cabinet on Thursday approved the Delhi Start-up and Incubation Policy, with an allocation of ₹400 crore over the next five years, aiming to promote innovation and self-employment. The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) announced the decision, which seeks to transform the national capital into a global innovation hub.
The policy, originally drafted as the Delhi Startup Policy 2025, targets facilitating at least 5,000 start-ups by 2035. It will cover 11 state universities, 13 government-funded colleges, polytechnic institutes, and Industrial Training Institutes. Students from government schools will also benefit through these institutions. Selected ideas will receive financial assistance, as per the CMO.
Under the policy, the government will establish incubation centres in partnership with educational institutions and provide seed funding to start-ups, an official confirmed. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated that the policy aims to enable youth to become job creators rather than job seekers, ensuring that students, researchers, teachers, alumni, and aspiring entrepreneurs have access to resources, mentorship, and financial support.
The government will offer one-time financial assistance to eligible institutions to set up and strengthen incubation centres, along with annual operational support for mentoring, networking, innovation activities, and ecosystem development. A State Incubation Policy Monitoring Committee, comprising representatives from the government, educational institutions, industry, and the start-up ecosystem, will oversee implementation, ensuring transparent governance and performance-based financial support.
Additionally, the CMO announced an annual Delhi Start-up Youth Festival to bring together young innovators, educational institutions, start-ups, investors, industry representatives, and policymakers to showcase ideas, build partnerships, and encourage entrepreneurship.
