Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday inaugurated two incubation centres at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV) Raipur to promote startups and innovators in agriculture and allied sectors, a government official here said.
While virtually inaugurating Biotech Incubation Centre and Agri-Business Incubation and Production Centre to mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Baghel said every university in the state should establish incubation and manufacturing hubs to promote new business ideas.
Underlining the role of youth in the state’s ‘Gadhbo Nava Chhattisgarh’ (create a new Chhattisgarh) campaign, he said all educational institutions should work towards developing entrepreneurial skills in youth.
The incubation centres will provide infrastructure, technology, financial and business networking assistance to budding innovators and entrepreneurs in the agri-biotechnology and agriculture sector, a public relations officer of the IGKV said.
The chief minister also laid the foundation stone for a new building of the biotech incubation centre, which is a part of the biotechnology park, a joint project of IGKV Raipur and the state Agriculture department, he said.
The project will be completed in two phases, the official said.
In the first phase, the new building of the incubation centre will be set up at a cost of Rs 30 crore in the university campus in the next two years, where 23 companies will be provided facilities for their offices and labs, he said.
They will also be given technical and business networking guidance, the official said.
Startups related to agri-biotech, healthcare biotech and food processing will be given preference there, he said.
In the second phase of the project, a ‘business enterprises zone’ will be developed on 9.59 hectares of land in Mungi village in the Arang area of Raipur district, where 23 companies will be provided research, technical and infrastructure facilities, he said.
Similarly, in the agri-business and incubation centre, young entrepreneurs will be given training and the opportunity to launch their startups, the PRO said.
At present, 94 entrepreneurs are being trained at the agri-business incubation centre, while 24 companies have already set up offices there, he added.
