By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, January 30, 2018: In a bid to scout for innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday launched the Startup India-Odisha Yatra.

The Yatra van would travel to 60 educational institutions across the 16 districts of the state. Selected ideas would be put to three days intensive acceleration programme and the best 50 innovators would be provided incubation and mentorship support to convert their ideas into startups.

During the yatra, 500 innovative ideas were likely to be pitched.

Patnaik expressed his happiness that in the last eight months 175 startups were registered with the Startup Odisha initiative and the government was fast moving towards the mission of 1000 Startups by 2020.

The yatra will cover educational institutions in Khorda, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Koraput, Rayagada and Ganjam districts.

Besides, 10 boot camps will be organised during this period at Fakir Mohan University, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Government Engineering College-Keonjhar, KITT, NIT, Vikram Dev College, Government Engineering College-Kalahandi, MST-Berhampur and BPFTIO-Cuttack.

Boot Camps, ideation workshops and idea pitching sessions would be organised for the benefit of innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs.

The winners of the boot camps would get cash prizes, legal consultation, advisory services and mentorship support.

MSME Minister Prafulla Samal said the main objective of the yatra is to create awareness about the startup eco-system in tier 2, tier 3 towns and encourage the aspiring entrepreneurs and youth to set up their ventures in the state.

He added that the yatra would be of one month’s duration and will conclude with a grand finale in Bhubaneswar.

MSME Secretary L.N. Gupta informed that during the period, Startup Clubs would also be formed at each of the educational institutions falling on the yatra route.

These clubs would function under the supervision of a Professor in-charge and three to four volunteers.