Overview

• Addressing the Lead Impact Conclave in Jammu on September 21, the Union minister called for a regionwide StartUp awareness campaign to translate existing policy support into local ventures.
• He countered the big-city myth by noting that nearly half of India’s StartUps are based in tier-2 and tier-3 towns, yet Jammu does not feature on that map.
• He pressed for workshops and social-media drives to spread information on opportunities and urged youth to move beyond a ‘Sarkari Naukri’ mindset.
• He cited an enabling ecosystem and highlighted schemes such as Mudra Yojana, PM SvaNidhi and PM Vishwakarma that are designed to support small businesses, vendors and traditional artisans.
• Pointing to national momentum—about 1.7 lakh StartUps with roughly 60,000 led by women—he showcased J&K’s ‘Purple Revolution’ in lavender as a model and called for industry–academia collaboration with a focus on bio-driven research aligned with the National Education Policy.