Union Minister of State (Independent Body) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Representative) Ministry of Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Space and Atomic Energy, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that J&K has a huge unexplored potential of agro-tech start-ups as the geography and climatic conditions here favor the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants.
Inaugurating the start-up summit in Srinagar, Jitendra Singh said that the government’s work mindset is proving to be a hindrance to the start-up culture, especially in North India. He pointed out that the ‘Purple Revolution’ emanating from Jammu and Kashmir offers attractive StartUp avenues and those who have entered the lavender sector are making a fortune. He said it is important to note some of the examples of many young entrepreneurs who have been seen leaving their lucrative positions in multinational companies to start their own start-ups because these young entrepreneurs are now beginning to realize the possibility in this happiness.
Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that as Union Minister for DoNER, he approved three Bamboo Clusters in 2020 in Jammu, Katra and Samba regions for the production of Bamboo Basketry, Agarbatti and Bamboo Charcoal. He said that Bamboo products are in high demand both in India and abroad and through Start-ups the youth can explore the huge business opportunities in this sector.
Dr Jitendra Singh fully appreciated the futuristic vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who in his Independence Day speech in 2015 called for “Start-Up India Stand Up India” from the ramparts of Red Fort, which generated mass interest. As a result, the number of start-ups in India has grown from just 350 in 2014 to over 80,000 in 2022 with over 100 unicorns.
In the next 25 years, Amrti-Kal said Dr Jitendra Singh, Jammu and Kashmir and several hilly regions as well as the Himalayan states will make a significant value addition to build the future economy of India, as these are territories whose resources remain underutilized in the past. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving these areas focused attention, they will play a key role in putting India on the global pedestal by 2047, he said.
