Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad has launched “Chunauti” – Next Generation Startup Challenge Contest, to similarly improve startups and software products with unique focus on Tier-II cities of India.

The authorities has earmarked Rs 95.03 crore over a length of 3 years for this programme. It objectives to identify around 300 startups running in recognized regions and offer them seed fund of up to Rs 25 lakh and different facilities.

On the new initiative, the minister said, “I urge the young, talented innovators of India to come forward and avail benefits of Chunauti challenge of government and create new software products and app. This launch is a bold initiative under the clarion call for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Under this mission, the Ministry of Electronics and IT will invite startups in the following regions of work: edutech, agritech and fintech answers for masses, deliver chain, logistics and transportation management, infrastructure and far off monitoring, scientific healthcare, diagnostic, preventive and mental care, jobs and skilling, in addition to linguistic gear and technologies.

The startups decided on through Chunauti will be provided various support from the authorities via Software Technology Parks of India centres throughout the country. They gets incubation facilities, mentorship, protection testing facilities, access to venture capitalist funding, enterprise connect as well as advisories in legal, Human Resource (HR), IPR, and patent matters.

Besides seed fund of up to Rs 25 lakh, the startups will also be provided cloud credit from main cloud service providers. Startups which are in the ideation stage may be selected under the pre-incubation programme and mentored for upto six months to adapt their marketing strategy and solution around the proposed idea.

Each intern (startup below pre-incubation) may be paid Rs 10,000 according to month up to a length of 6 months. The Union Minister additionally laid the foundation stone of the virtual training and skilling center of National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) at Muzaffarpur in Bihar. This center may be evolved by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, at a value of Rs. 9.17 crore.