Each district to have start-up incubator

Kalraj Mishra, Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), announced a start-up incubator centre for each of Rajasthan's 33 districts. His announcement came in response to the demand for such centres in all the six divisions of Rajasthan by chief minister Vasundhara Raje in her inaugural speech at the Resurgent Rajasthan Summit.

Mishra was invited for the second day of the event to launch the state government's MSME policy. The policy document promises tax benefits, faster clearances of projects, speedy loans and availability of land for those wanting to set up small and medium scale industries in the state. In Rajasthan, 90 per cent industries fall in the MSME sector.

Dinesh Agarwal, founder and chief executive of India Mart, appreciated the state government's effort in bringing out a clear policy, but said it was more manufacturing-oriented.

"It does not speak much about services, which contribute 40 per cent to India's GDP. It is also silent on technology aspect. If the state government wants to successfully implement the policy, it needs to converge 'Make in India' with 'Digital India'," said Agarwal.

The second day of the summit lacked fanfare as most of the industry captains and Union ministers had left on the first day. Nirmala Sitharaman, minister of state (independent charge) for commerce and industry, who was present for the valedictory session, hoped the state would continue with reforms.

She announced setting up a branch of the National Institute of Design in Rajasthan.