Delhi govt to set up food incubators, hi-tech labs to boost startups

The Delhi government will set up two new incubation centres for micro food processing firms and three advanced technology labs for startups, Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Saturday.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship PMFME scheme, Rs 4.5 crore will be invested in food processing incubators at Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University's World Class Skill Centres in Jhandewalan and Wazirpur.

Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University has already received an initial Rs 50 lakh tranche and begun procuring bakery line equipment, Sirsa said.

He also said that separately, a Rs 3.06 crore corporate social responsibility grant from the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation will finance two Internet of Things labs and a fabrication lab on Netaji Subhas University of Technology's East and Main campuses.

The facilities will offer prototyping, testing and upskilling support to students, faculty and local entrepreneurs, he added.

Under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's leadership we want Delhi to be the first choice for innovators, MSMEs and skilled youth," Sirsa said. "These labs will bridge the gap between ideation and execution and help build future ready enterprises."  Launched in 2020 with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore and now extended to FY 2025-26, the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme offers credit-linked subsidies, shared infrastructure and One District One Product (ODOP) support to formalise India's unorganised micro food sector.