Arunachal CM Pema Khandu Expands APIIP to Boost Startup Ecosystem
- CM Pema Khandu announced expansion of the Arunachal Pradesh Innovation and Investment Park to support more than 50 startups annually.
- Launched YES Arunachal, a one-stop platform for all youth-focused government schemes.
- APIIP signed MoUs with 7 universities and colleges to set up startup cells and mentor student entrepreneurs.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu announced a major boost to the state’s startup ecosystem by expanding the Arunachal Pradesh Innovation and Investment Park (APIIP) and enhancing the scope of the Arunachal Pradesh Entrepreneurship Development Program (APEDP). The move aims to give more opportunities to young entrepreneurs and ensure that innovative ideas from across the state get the right support.
APIIP, the state’s first startup incubator, was set up in August 2020 under the Department of Planning, Investment & Finance as part of the Arunachal Pradesh Start-Up Policy. It has quickly become the backbone of the state’s entrepreneurship drive. The park conducts annual startup challenges to identify promising business ideas, providing winners with seed funding, mentorship, and incubation support.
In just four years, APIIP has supported 106 startups through three cohorts, offering more than Rs 4.5 crore in seed funding. A remarkable 38 percent of these enterprises are women-led, representing sectors such as agriculture, handicrafts, IT, e-commerce, and tourism. This year, the incubator created history by becoming the first in India to adopt Artificial Intelligence for shortlisting startup applications. Using this system, 50 new startups were selected.
While applauding this achievement, Chief Minister Khandu said that supporting only 50 startups each year is not enough. To accommodate more entrepreneurs, he directed that the APIIP premises be expanded, either by renting additional space or by constructing a new building. He assured full government support for this expansion.
At the event, Khandu, along with Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, distributed graduation certificates to Cohort 3.0 startups and prize money to Cohort 4.0 winners. He also oversaw the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between APIIP and seven educational institutions. These include Arunachal Pradesh University (Pasighat), Arunachal University of Studies (Namsai), Dorjee Khandu Government College (Tawang), Dera Natung Government College (Itanagar), NERIST (Nirjuli), NIT (Jote), and Rajiv Gandhi University (Doimukh). The partnerships will set up startup cells within the institutions, ensuring that student innovators receive mentorship and no promising idea goes unnoticed.
Khandu credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Startup India Mission and Viksit Bharat @2047 vision for inspiring these efforts. “His mission has transformed India’s entrepreneurial landscape, from garages to global IPOs, from small towns to big tech hubs. In Arunachal Pradesh, every road built, every enterprise supported, every dream encouraged is a step towards Viksit Arunachal,” he said.
The Chief Minister also introduced YES Arunachal (Youth Empowerment Sphere), a one-stop digital platform for all government schemes to empower young people. He expressed confidence that APIIP will play a key role in making this initiative a success.
In another key announcement, Khandu suggested that the Investment Cell in the Department of Planning, Investment & Finance should be upgraded into a full-fledged directorate. This would allow it to independently explore funding opportunities for startups and strengthen the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The event was attended by several cabinet ministers, the Chief Secretary, senior officials, representatives of Start-Up India, and mentors from IIT Delhi and IIM Shillong.
With these initiatives, Arunachal Pradesh is steadily building itself as a hub for young entrepreneurs, giving its youth the tools and confidence to turn their ideas into successful ventures.
