Editor,
The first ever start-up challenge was launched on the Statehood Day in 2020 by the chief minister with much enthusiasm. The underlying aims and objectives of the start-up challenge was worth appreciable as it promised to identify promising and aspiring entrepreneurs and help them with monetary funding, certification, and further help secure funding from various stakeholders across the country.
We, the aspiring entrepreneurs, were very happy to have the platform, so that we could participate and present our innovations, ideas and concepts.
The online application process started in August 2020 and ended on 27 September, 2020. Subsequently, in December 2020, the top 100 selected were declared and the selected candidates were directed to submit a winning pitch deck for top 50. In the first week of February 2021, the top 50 candidates were declared and were further directed to attend the final pitching round at DK Convention Hall, Itanagar, on 18 February, 2021, with presentation on their respective business ideas.
On 19 February, 2021, the top 31 candidates were declared in the official portal, apstartup.in, and in the official Facebook handle of Chief Minister Pema Khandu. The top 31 candidates were supposed to be provided with seed fund of Rs 5 lakhs to top 10 and Rs 4 lakhs to the remaining ones, along with certificates and further incubation and pre-incubation training.
The same was highly boasted about and referred to in the budget speech by Finance Minister Chowna Mein.
However, dishearte-ningly, neither was the seed fund distributed nor the training programme conducted or initiated by the authorities concerned so far, even after five months have passed since the declaration of the top 31 selected entrepreneurs or start-ups.
Thus, it appears that the authority concerned and the state government aren’t truly enthusiastic anymore about the much-boasted project. Further, like most of the projects or schemes of the state and the central government that fail in the execution phase, the first ever start-up challenge of the state government seems to be failing as well and thus self-defeating.
Nevertheless, we the selected entrepreneurs for the first ever start-up challenge would like to urge the authority concerned to expedite the process of seed fund distribution, certification and further training programme to uphold the very aims and objectives of the project.
We are the ones that will generate self-employment and employment to others while solving various problems with our ideas and innovations.
We anticipate and hope that the authority concerned and the state government will give heed to our request and concern.
Doni Riba (Dukandada),
Sapkar Ronya (First Sun),
Punyo Padi (Albe.in),
Karken Bado (Arunachal Pixel and others),
Nobin (Taji Enterprise),
Nokngwangjen (Keep it cool),
Tom Chirom (Zoom Dapo)