On National Startup Day 2025, 110 students from Gujarat were awarded a total of Rs 22 lakh in incentive support to kick-start their entrepreneurial journeys. The event was held at the Vidya Samiksha Kendra in Gandhinagar on Thursday.
Education Minister Dr Kuber Dindor and State Education Minister Praful Pansheriya presided over the statewide celebration.
The incentive distribution was part of the launch of the expanded Student Startup and Innovation Policy (SSIP) 2.0, which now includes students from a wider range of disciplines such as science, commerce, and arts.
Previously, SSIP 1.0 was limited to science and technology students. Dindor emphasised that the support provided to the students was not merely financial but aimed at helping them realise their entrepreneurial dreams.
“Gujarat’s students will make significant contributions to the global startup ecosystem,” Dindor said, noting the event was a crucial step towards realising the vision of a developed India by 2047.
The event also celebrated the state’s growing startup culture, with the ministers highlighting local innovations. The examples of rural innovation, Minister Pansheriya remarked, reflect the potential for startups in India’s rural areas, which account for more than 65% of the country’s population.
The ministers presented symbolic checks of Rs 20,000, along with certificates and a book titled Zero to One, to 10 students, including seven from rural Ahmedabad and three from Gandhinagar.
Pansheriya also highlighted the importance of startups in improving lives and fostering self-reliance, especially in rural areas where opportunities for innovation abound. “Startups will play a vital role in a developed India by 2047,” he said. He urged students to recognise their talent and the power of innovation, which can lead to better livelihoods through entrepreneurship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2022 declaration of January 16 as National Startup Day was referenced throughout the event.
Earlier in his address to participants of the ‘Developed India Young Leaders Dialogue 2025’, PM Modi spoke of the transformative role of India’s youth in the nation’s development, emphasising that the creative ideas of young people are vital to India’s future growth.
Ankit Thakur, Startup Ecosystem Advisor at PMU, commended the efforts of the education department in supporting student entrepreneurship. He also introduced a new web portal launched by PMU under the School of Commissioner, where students can submit their startup ideas for monitoring at the state level.
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