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Pema Khandu inaugurates Arunachal Pradesh Innovation & Investment Park

ITANAGAR- The inaugural ceremony of Arunachal Pradesh Innovation & Investment Park (APIIP) and Prize distribution ceremony of the Arunachal Pradesh Entrepreneurships Development Programme (APEDP) was held on 14th August 2021 at the Innovation & Investment Park at Niti Vihar, Itanagar.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched the Arunachal Pradesh Innovation & Investment Park (APIIP) and awarded seed funds to 31 winners of the Entrepreneurships Development Programme 2020. The programme was attended by Chowna Mein, Deputy Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary, Naresh Kumar and host dignitaries. Arunachal Pradesh Entrepreneurship Development Programme was launched by Chief Minister, Pema Khandu on 15th August 2020 and today is the culmination day of the event.

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Addressing the gathering,  Pema Khandu, started in his speech with reference to ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ as propagated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the 75th year of our independence. He  further thanked the Hon’ble Prime Minister to stated that the identity of the North East states have improved significantly under his able leadership. Connectivity has improved – making travel from East to West Arunachal seamless, road constructions are going on all across the state, railway connectivity has improved – very soon places like Tawang, Basar, Ziro will be connected by railways.

Work on Holongi airport  was also pending for some time, but under the current State Government and with support from the Central Government, work is ongoing at full swing and, if all goes smoothly, we will be able to launch the airport on the next 15 August. “Such types of development was not in my wildest dreams”, said the Chief Minister, further stating that nothing is impossible under the able leadership of our beloved Prime Minister.

While appreciating and encouraging 31 young entrepreneurs, Chief Minister said “My government is fully committed to support the initiative started by the Investment Division”, . He also asked the Investment Division to fully focus on this particular area, so that this Innovation & investment park is developed into a world class facility, and Arunachal can produce entrepreneurs who can drive sustainable and scalable businesses. He hoped that this Park will be able to connect to all the budding startups in the state.

Through this center, the government can promote sectors like tourism, agri & allied which are the high priority sectors of growth. Further, the capital region is a big city and it has a big market for startups. People should produce consumables like vegetables and meat locally, so that dependencies on other states are reduced. He also highlighted that the presence of a large number of Indian Army and other paramilitary forces in the state also presents a larger market for the entrepreneurs.

The Chief Minister concluded his speech saying that the launching of Arunachal Pradesh Innovation & investment park (APIIP) is the starting point of a Vision, and assured to strengthen the Investment Division by providing all kinds of government support. He also committed to review the programme of the Park through Investment Division intermittently. Lastly he congratulated 31 winners and team investment Division with a quote, “The country can move further when the business community is progressing”.

Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Investment Division of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh has managed to bring the first phase of the Entrepreneurships Development Programme to its logical conclusion by launching the APIIP and giving seed funds to the 31 winners.

Prashant S. Lokhande, Commissioner of Planning & investment, spoke about the Mission to create an enabling ecosystem for startups, congratulated the 31 winners and reminded them of their responsibilities and appreciated Tabe Haidar who is the State Nodal Officer for Startup and Investment Promotion and the entire Investment Division and PwC team for making the event grand success.  

Tabe Haidar, the State Nodal Officer for Startup and Investment Promotion pointed out that APIIP is the first of its kind in the state and will go a long way to create a vibrant ecosystem for the young entrepreneurs of the state and to build a self-reliant, knowledge based economy, so that the youth of today can be transformed from job seekers to job givers.

The Special Guest of the event the Chief Secretary, Naresh Kumar talked about the ability of entrepreneurs to solve problems, congratulated the Planning & Investment Division Team for making the Entrepreneurship Development Programme a success in such a short time. He said that India is young and Arunachal Pradesh has a young Chief Minister who can be a role model for the state and the country. He also suggested that Planning & Investment Department can connect with IIM Shilong, with whom state has recently signed a MoU, to avail their expertise.

Speaking on the occasion, the Guest of Honour, Deputy Chief Minister  Chowna Mein who is also Planning & Investment Minister expressed his immense happiness to see the youths of Arunachal Pradesh coming forward to do something on their own. He further said that he was proud of the achievements showcased in today’s event and the very visible talent in the state.

These talents needed facilities top progress, which are now being provided by the Planning & Investment Department. He congratulated the 31 winners and recalled the Prime Minister to remind the gatherings that these achievemens are essentially are ‘fruits of freedom’ that will ensure that youth of the state become job givers instead of job seekers. He applauded Planning & Investment Division for creating such a world class facility for Startups and assured to give all possible government support to the APIIP.

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