Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently spotlighted significant occurrences from the past two weeks, including the 10th anniversary of the ‘Startup India’ initiative and trade discussions. The ‘Startup India’ initiative commemorated its 10-year journey with a major event in Delhi on January 16, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, startup founders, innovators, and young entrepreneurs. National Startup Day saw the announcement of the results for the 5th editions of the States’ Startup Ranking Exercise and the National Startup Awards.
PM Modi praised the Indian youth for their focus on addressing real-world issues while celebrating the decade milestone of the Startup India mission. During an event at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, PM Modi commended the country’s startup founders and innovators for carving their own paths and enhancing India’s global reputation. Additionally, Minister Goyal engaged in a productive meeting with David Eby, Premier of British Columbia, Canada.
Discussions during the meeting centered on bolstering the economic partnership between India and Canada, enhancing trade and investment cooperation, and exploring collaboration in critical areas such as minerals, manufacturing, clean energy, technology, education, defense, and innovation. The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) celebrated seven years of its ‘Womaniya’ initiative, aimed at empowering women-led Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in public procurement.
At the event, an MoU was signed with the Women’s Collective Forum (WCF) to provide enhanced institutional support for women entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the inauguration of the Regional Office of APEDA in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, aims to establish the state as a key hub for agricultural and processed food exports. Chhattisgarh offers substantial export opportunities across various products, including rice, fruits, vegetables, and forest produce like Mahua.
The first-ever air shipment of three Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged products from Karnataka – Nanjangud Rasabale Banana, Mysore Betel Leaves, and Indi Lime – was exported to the Maldives. Minister Goyal highlighted this achievement as another stride in India’s continuous efforts to boost agricultural exports, support farmers, expand market access, and showcase its GI heritage globally.
