Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday said that it is impossible for everyone to get a white collar job, but Start-Ups and entrepreneurship can ensure job guarantee to all.
He was speaking at the launch of the Start-up Cohort of Start Up Manipur and Meta’s Extended Reality (XR) for Start-up Roadshow at Hotel Classic Grande in Imphal East.
It was launched under the initiative of the Planning department with support from the Start Up Incubation Centre-MTU and Atal Incubation Centre-SMU Technology Business Incubation Foundation of the Sikkim Manipal University.
Biren said that initiating the XR Start-Up programme in Manipur is similar to bringing the whole world into this tiny state through Meta to encourage and motivate the youths.
Recalling the launching of Start-Ups late in the state only after the formation of the BJP-led government with a budget of only Rs 10 crore, he said that now the budget has been raised to Rs100 crore, considering that Start-Up is the key to employment generation besides making Manipur into an exporter state..
He informed that through Start-Up schemes, the state has become self-sustainable in strawberry and has started exporting various items like organic black rice and pineapple to outside states and even to overseas.
With the continuation of cooperation and support from the Central government and other establishments, the state is expected to reach new heights of development in the coming days, he added.
Biren pointed out that Manipur has good potential and human resources but need to be explored and utilised. He further apprised the youths to make the best use of innovative ideas and thoughts.
CEO of AIC-SMUTBI Tejbanta Chingtham in his speech informed that the Atal Incubation Centre is working with 71 Start-Up programmes across the country since the past three years by giving all the technical support.
The Centre have even raised around Rs 25 crore in one of such Start-Up programmes, he said adding that the XR Start Up programme will be a growing venture for the youths of Manipur.
He explained that the XR programme aims to accelerate India's contribution towards building the foundations of metaverse and nurturing the development of Extended Reality technologies.
The function was also attended by additional chief secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam; vice-chancellor of MTU Bhabeswar Tongbram; vice-chancellor of SMU, Rajan S Grewal, mission director of ATU NITI Aayog Chintan Vishnav; CEO of MEITY Start-up HUB (MHS) Jeet Vijay and public policy director of META Sunil Abraham as presidium members.
