Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) announced the “Startup Gateway Free Cities” initiative in collaboration with SIIC IIT Kanpur at the SWACHHATA STARTUP CONCLAVE

Kanpur : Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre, the technology business incubation centre at IIT Kanpur, participated in the SWACHHATA STARTUP CONCLAVE organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on September 20th at the Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.  Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) partnered with Villgro as the implementation partner for this one-day event, which received generous participation from urban local administrative, government officials, and the startup ecosystem. The event unpacked in four segments starting from an inaugural address, followed by a panel discussion – ‘Manthan’, a felicitation ceremony of the top ten startups under the Swachha Startup Challenge, and concluding with an official announcement of a new initiative in collaboration with SIIC and MoHUA.

Dr. Nikhil Agarwal, CEO FIRST & AIIDE CoE delivered his inaugural address in line with the other prominent delegates at the event. He spoke about SIIC’s active contribution to India’s startup ecosystem and its significant impact on critical infrastructural gaps. He said, “SIIC has implemented critical projects of national importance amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of our renowned startups focus on deriving value out of waste. I genuinely thank the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for organising this event and addressing the importance of sustainable development for new-age technology. I look forward to partnering with MoHUA to set up a knowledge hub and promote more innovations in the domain.”

Prof. Ankush Sharma, Prof-in-charge, Innovation and Incubation, IIT Kanpur, moderated ‘Manthan’- a panel discussion with distinguished panellists discussing policy framework to promote startups working on garbage-free cities and sustainable technology solutions. The panel included Dr R K Singh, CGM, SIDBI, Ms Aastha Grover, Head, Startup India, Mr Rohit Gupta, Program Director, NITI-AIM, Mr Saumil Ranjan Chaubey, SDM, SBM-U, Chhattisgarh, Mr P. Ponniah, SDM, SBM, DMA, Tamil Nadu, and Dr Monoranjan Mohanty Advisor/Scientist ‘G’ PSA office. The speakers acknowledged the necessity of a policy framework to accelerate startups towards sustainability through technology interventions.

Prof. Ankush Sharma said, “The focus on developing a policy framework that helps create an enabling ecosystem for initiating entrepreneurial ventures in the waste-to-wealth domain is critical for the national startup landscape. I look forward to the upcoming “Startup Gateway for Garbage Free Cities” initiative in collaboration with MoHUA to initiate a meaningful change in the direction.”

The event concluded with an award ceremony for the top ten startups under the Swachha Startup Challenge launched by the MoHUA in January 2022. Hon’ble Minister of State, Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Kaushal Kishore, H.E., Mr Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France, Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary MoHUA, Ms Roopa Mishra, Joint Secretary, SBM-U felicitated the respective startup founders.

Jalsevak – a SIIC-incubated startup, was among the ten finalists for their innovative solutions for catalysing the momentum of the waste management ecosystem in India.

The one-day event ended with an official announcement of the joint initiative “Startup Gateway for Garbage Free Cities” between MoHUA and SIIC by the Hon’ble Minister of State, Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Kaushal Kishore. The initiative aims to provide incubation support to the latter 20 finalist startups from the pool of top 30 finalists under the Swachha Startup Challenge. It will enable India to fulfil the sustainable development goals defined by the United Nations leveraged by innovative technology solutions.

Some of SIIC IIT Kanpur’s incubated and graduated startups also participated in the conclave. They showcased their cutting-edge solutions in cleantech, water and sanitation, and waste-to-value domains. The following startups were present at the event:

• Agnys Waste Management Pvt. Ltd.
• SatSure Analytics India Pvt. Ltd.
• Co,
• GARV Toilets