Governor inaugurates Policy Consultative Workshop for Student Innovation and Start-Ups with Academic Leaders of J&K

SRINAGAR, MAY 21: Governor N.N. Vohra inaugurated the Policy Consultative Workshop for Academic Leaders of J&K at Raj Bhavan here today. This Workshop, part of the “National Students Start-Up Policy”, was organized to promote and integrate the efforts being made by various institutions and at various levels in the State to support the Start-Up movements.

Ministry of Human Resource and Development had recently reached out to the office of the Governors of all States to extend innovation and Start-Up support to young students acrossall thee Universities. As a part of this initiative, a delegation led by Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe Chairman AICTE had met Governor Vohra on 12^th  April 2018 at Raj Bhavan Jammu.  It was in this context that Governor hosted today’s Workshop involving all Universities and key stake holders of the National Start-Up ecosystem. J&K is the first State where the Governor has taken this initiative.

Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman All India Council for Technical  Education (AICTE), Prof. Sanjay Inamdar, Chairman, AICTE Start-up Policy Implementation Committee, Dr.  Unnat Pandit, Head, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Dr. H.K. Mittal, Member Secretary, National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) and a senior representative of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion , Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries, gave presentations  on the Start-Up scenario in the country and  a road-map to develop innovation and entrepreneurship culture across the Universities and educational institutions in J&K. Sh. Parvez Ahmed, Chairman, J&K Bank Ltd. who also participated, presented his suggestions on the role of financial institutions in promoting Start-Ups in the State.

 Vice-Chancellors and representatives of 15 institutions including the State Higher Education Department, University of Kashmir, University of Jammu, SKUAST-K, Central University of Kashmir, Central University of Jammu, Cluster University of Jammu, Cluster University of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, SKUAST-J, National Institute of Technology Srinagar, Department of Industry and Commerce, and J&K Bank participated in this Policy Design Workshop.

Addressing the Workshop Governor highlighted the importance of institutions of higher learning to institutionalising the Start-Up movement in order to harness the creative potential of youth. Governor observed that in order to translate our knowledge and expertise into viable commercial enterprises it is imperative that serious planned steps are taken to develop an innovation based Start-Up ecosystem which will also encourage students to find solutions to contemporary social challenges.

Stressing the importance of moving swiftly for mobilising an environment of entrepreneurship, he advised the Universities to collaborate with each other and pool their resources to create the infrastructure needed to realize the entrepreneurial potential of our youth. 

Governor noted that JKEDI had already commenced the process for formulating the Start-Up Policy for the State. He urged the State Government to develop an  innovation/student Start-Ups Hub which can be linked to all the University hubs. It was suggested that the Higher Education Department could develop a holistic Student Innovation and Start-Up Policy in line with the AICTE Start-Up Policy and each University in J&K should develop their own contextual framework to implement this Policy across their affiliated institutes. In addition, each College affiliated with a University should set up an innovation and Start-Up cell. Annually, the best student innovation and start-Ups could be showcased and awarded in a special function (Festival of Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship) hosted by Raj Bhavan with the Education Department to celebrate excellence and achievement of each University.

In his concluding remarks Governor observed that the Universities and institutes of education assume importance and relevance only when they get meaningfully involved in resolving local and regional problems. By tackling such challenges young students can become job providers with consequent socio-economic benefits all around.

 Governor advised the heads of the educational and other participating institutions to devise a  mechanism  with quantifiable and measurable outcomes for promoting entrepreneurship development. He observed that J&K abounds in opportunities for the promotion of a start-Up ecosystem. He particularly mentioned the high potential existing in the Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Husbandry and the Poultry sectors in which the State is presently a net importer.

 Governor urged the Vice Chancellor of Central University, Kashmir, the current Chairman of the J&K Vice Chancellor’s Forum to urgently invite all stakeholders including the JKEDI, to give actionable shape to the road map which had been proposed in today’s Workshop.

 Prof. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman AICTE, appreciated the initiative taken by Governor Vohra  and shared that this unique leadership effort can bring about a transformative impact in J&K in the foreseeable future. He assured all possible support for the student innovation and entrepreneurship movement in the State taken under the guidance of Governor J&K. Each participating institution committed to various action points which they would pursue to create a culture of student innovation and entrepreneurship in the State.