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The year 2021 will be remembered as a milestone for the presentation of the first paperless budget. It reinforces the significance of digitization and emerging technologies as among the formidable undercurrents in the Indian economy. These developments have shaped the trajectory of the startup ecosystem in the past few years.

Dr. Omkar Rai, DG – Software Technology Parks of India

The role of the government has further propelled the growth of startups. The Indian startup ecosystem is currently the third-largest in the world. A series of measures such as revising the definition of startups, providing income exemptions and setting up Fund of Funds has had a cascading effect by promoting entrepreneurship, generating employment and fostering innovation. Amid the focus on Aatma Nirbhar Bharat, the government has allocated INR 945 crores for Startup India Seed Fund Scheme in 2020.

It is notable that despite COVID-19, the startup ecosystem has taken rapid strides towards growth. There are a total of 38 unicorns, out of which 12 have emerged in 2020 alone. The Union Budget goes a step ahead in bolstering these efforts.

“The Union Budget marks a continuation of government efforts to handhold startups until they reach maturity. The extension of the tax holiday till March 31, 2022, will boost sentiment aid towards the paradigm shift from job seekers to job creators. The allocation of Rs. 50,000 crores to National Research Foundation for five years will further boost the startup ecosystem to innovate and create cutting-edge technology products for all sections of society,” said Dr. Omkar Rai, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India.

“Riding on the wave of infrastructural developments and push by respective state governments, the Tier 2 and 3 cities will emerge as the next frontiers. Incentivizing the emergence of One Person Companies (OPCs) by no restriction of paid-up capital and allowing the conversion into any type of company will further provide an impetus to entrepreneurship, especially in Tier 2 and 3 towns,” Dr. Omkar Rai added.

The budget also stresses emerging technologies such as AI, ML-driven MCA 3.0 version, AI and an e-court system as a framework for the MSME ecosystem. Furthermore, the establishment of National Language Translation Mission will facilitate accessibility and ensure that the benefit of government initiatives percolate to the last mile.

Overall, the Union Budget is a futuristic document that prioritizes growth. Though much will depend upon the actual implementation of policies, the Union Budget has made a great start to propel the Indian startup ecosystem.

Dr. Omkar Rai further shared that, “The Budget takes cognizance of the significance of infrastructure in the shaping of economic trajectory and prioritizes its growth. The large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor and Dedicated Freight Corridor will create an enabling framework for the growth of startups.”

Dr. Omkar Rai is the Director-General, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. Under his leadership, STPI has been instrumental in boosting software exports and catalyzing entrepreneurship from the country. Dr. Rai has contributed immensely in re-positioning STPI with a focus on innovation and dispersal of the IT/ESDM industry beyond metros. He has spearheaded the growth of the IT industry in India and has been involved in various policy formulations from time to time.

Dr. Omkar Rai has been closely working very closely with all stakeholders, including the government and IT industry and has played a key role in formulating an appropriate interface among Industry, Academia and the IT/ESDM Industry. Before joining STPI, he served the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in various capacities. As Development Commissioner, Special Economic Zone, Dr. Omkar Rai spearheaded the establishment of the first-of-its-kind centre for the development of a software technology park in Varanasi. Dr. Omkar Rai set-up Centre for Research and Industrial Staff Performance (CRISP) to provide practical training for skilled professionals to bridge the gap between industry requirement and skill set availability. Dr. Omkar Rai closely worked with the government to implement the National IT Policy 2012.

New Delhi [India], February 2 (ANI/NewsVoir): The year 2021 will be remembered as a milestone for the presentation of the first paperless budget. It reinforces the significance of digitization and emerging technologies as among the formidable undercurrents in the Indian economy. These developments have shaped the trajectory of the startup ecosystem in the past few years.

The role of the government has further propelled the growth of startups. The Indian startup ecosystem is currently the third-largest in the world. A series of measures such as revising the definition of startups, providing income exemptions and setting up 'Fund of Funds' has had a cascading effect by promoting entrepreneurship, generating employment and fostering innovation. Amid the focus on Aatma Nirbhar Bharat, the government has allocated Rs 945 crores for Startup India Seed Fund Scheme in 2020.

It is notable that despite COVID-19, the startup ecosystem has taken rapid strides towards growth. There are a total of 38 unicorns, out of which 12 have emerged in 2020 alone. The Union Budget goes a step ahead in bolstering these efforts.

"The Union Budget marks a continuation of government efforts to handhold startups until they reach maturity. The extension of the tax holiday till March 31, 2022, will boost sentiment aid towards the paradigm shift from 'job seekers to job creators'. The allocation of Rs. 50,000 crores to National Research Foundation for five years will further boost the startup ecosystem to innovate and create cutting-edge technology products for all sections of society," said Dr Omkar Rai, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India.

"Riding on the wave of infrastructural developments and push by respective state governments, the Tier 2 and 3 cities will emerge as the next frontiers. Incentivizing the emergence of One Person Companies (OPCs) by no restriction of paid-up capital and allowing the conversion into any type of company will further provide an impetus to entrepreneurship, especially in Tier 2 and 3 towns," Dr Omkar Rai added.

The budget also stresses emerging technologies such as AI, ML-driven MCA 3.0 version, AI and an e-court system as a framework for the MSME ecosystem. Furthermore, the establishment of National Language Translation Mission will facilitate accessibility and ensure that the benefit of government initiatives percolate to the last mile.

Overall, the Union Budget is a futuristic document that prioritizes growth. Though much will depend upon the actual implementation of policies, the Union Budget has made a great start to propel the Indian startup ecosystem.

"The Budget takes cognizance of the significance of infrastructure in the shaping of economic trajectory and prioritizes its growth. The large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor and Dedicated Freight Corridor will create an enabling framework for the growth of startups," Dr Omkar Rai further added.

Dr Omkar Rai is the Director-General, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. Under his leadership, STPI has been instrumental in boosting software exports and catalyzing entrepreneurship from the country.

Dr Rai has contributed immensely in re-positioning STPI with a focus on innovation and dispersal of the IT/ESDM industry beyond metros. He has spearheaded the growth of the IT industry in India and has been involved in various policy formulations from time to time.

Dr Omkar Rai has been closely working very closely with all stakeholders, including the government and IT industry and has played a key role in formulating an appropriate interface among Industry, Academia and the IT/ESDM Industry. Before joining STPI, he served the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in various capacities.

As Development Commissioner, Special Economic Zone, Dr Omkar Rai spearheaded the establishment of the first-of-its-kind centre for the development of a software technology park in Varanasi.

Dr Omkar Rai set-up Centre for Research and Industrial Staff Performance (CRISP) to provide practical training for skilled professionals to bridge the gap between industry requirement and skill set availability. Dr Omkar Rai closely worked with the government to implement the National IT Policy 2012.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

STPI IoT Lab is spread over an area of 4,200 sq ft, and aims at supporting and nurturing around 500 start-ups over a period of 5 years
Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) in association with Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India and Arrow Electronics has setup “Center of Excellence – STPI IoT OpenLab” at Bengaluru. The first batch of IoT startups are on board and the lab is fully ready to go live on 21 September 2020. STPI IoT Open Lab will bring in transformative changes in innovation, product development & IPR creation in IoT domain by nurturing promising tech startups while providing a compelling collaborative platform.

Dr. Omkar Rai, director general, STPI, in his keynote address said: “STPI IoT Open Lab is a national lab and the startups associated with the STPI programs can access to this lab effectively. Startups can access the STPI IoT Open Lab from all across the country and leverage the potential of mentor pool. With an extensive global technology supply chain network, we are well-positioned to provide best-in-class engineering resources, technological expertise, and supply chain capabilities to local innovators and engineers as they create, make, and manage forward-thinking products.”

Sanjeev Keskar, MD, Arrow Electronics and chief mentor STPI IoT OpenLab said: “It’s a very happy moment for all of us that what we dreamt two years back has finally become a reality. IoT will play a significant role in electronics and semiconductor space in the coming times.”

IoT OpenLab will enable innovative star-ups to develop disruptive IoT based applications, products & solutions in various business verticals like Defence, Aeronautics, Industrial, Agriculture, Health, Automotive and Education, etc. Interested startups can register online at http://www.iotopenlab.stpi.in/

“With all the incubation and lab facilities, mentoring and funding support, startups can transform their entrepreneurial vision we are planning to nurture 500 startups in a period of 5 years. This CoE has been getting an overwhelming response and we have now 16 startups to be incubated in the first cohort,” highlighted Shailendra Kumar Tyagi, director, STPI Bengaluru.

The IoT Openlab is being supported by IESA & TiE (Industry Association Partners) to provide network opportunities to startups, PES Institute of Technology and RV College of Engineering (Academic Partners) to provide academic expertise & mentoring to the startups and Cyber Media & Forum Synergy (VC/Angel Partners) to provide funding access & opportunities to the startups. The industry partnership covers ONsemi, Kyocera, NXP, Analog devices, ST Micro, Infineon, Silicon Labs, Microchip, Littelfuse, KEMET.

“TiE-Bengaluru & IESA are collaboratively working to build an IoT ecosystem. We have seen massive growth in last 5 years, with 100 enterprise-level companies and over thousands of startups,” underlined Ravi Gururaj, president, TiE-Bangalore.

NEW DELHI: State-owned Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) expects to have the largest ecosystem of incubating new technologies in the country by setting up 21 centres of excellence, a top official of the organisation said on Friday.

During an online seminar organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce on the usage of blockchain technology in the agriculture sector, STPI Director General Omkar Rai said the organisation has planned 21 centres of excellence (CoEs) to incubate new technologies in various sectors, and 12 of these centres are already operational.

"We have centres of excellence in autonomous connected electric vehicles, IoT (internet of things), augmented and virtual realities, animation and gaming, meditech, blockchain, etc," Rai said.

He added that a total of 21 CoEs have already been planned and "STPI is going to have the country's largest incubation ecosystem in technology in a year".

Rai said STPI is collaborating with industry, academia and all stakeholders to develop new technologies in various verticals.

"Out of 21, we have already launched 12 CoEs. Three centres are dedicated to agriculture. We have launched one in Guwahati and another in Gurugram in the name of Apiary. We will launch another centre anytime soon in Patna," Rai said.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing jointly contribute around 17 per cent to India's gross domestic product, and about half of the country's population is dependent on the sector for their livelihood.

Rai said India is the second-largest producer of farm products in the world and still needs to grow up in the value chain.

He also said there is a need to adopt modern technologies to enhance production in agriculture as well as focus on branding to build trust and reap high benefits.

"We have to enhance our branding based on trust, transparency and traceability. While keeping all other aspects constant, we have a variable which is branding. Everyone is fond of organic but how do we build trust. Blockchain is one technology that can create trust around the origin and quality of the products," Rai said.

He added that agriculture is a sector that is not much explored in terms of usage of modern technologies.

"There are a lot of opportunities where one can create products, solutions and technology," Rai.
 

Director General of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Omkar Rai on Monday said the Indian IT industry has been doing very well during the pandemic and the sector will witness significant advancements in the times to come.

The IT industry has done great in such difficult times due to its strong foundations and adaptability to change, Rai said while addressing the virtual e-Naga Summit 2020 organised by the Information Technology and Communication department of the state government.

Mentioning that India has done great in terms of IT Hubs, he said, “Nagaland’s aspiration to become the IT Hub of Southeast Asia is absolutely genuine and is commensurate with the ambition of the nation and SPTI.” The STPI director general appreciated the state government's initiative in allotting space to start a STPI Centre here and a Network Centric Centre with well built incubator.

He also expressed hope that the deliberations of the e-Naga summit would lay the foundation for future policy planning not only for the region but for the entire country.

Rai said, SPTI wants to ensure that the country capitalises on emerging technologies and its applications in various sectors of knowledge and economy while also creating an environment conducive for IT market.

In his address, Nagaland Advisor for IT, Communication, Science and Technology Mmhonlumo Kikon asserted that the Nagaland government is very determined and committed to fulfil the vision of making the state the next IT Hub of Southeast Asia.

Principal secretary, Information Technology and Communication KD Vizo, in his introductory note said, “We are aware that new technologies are emerging at a very fast pace and there is a need to balance ourselves so that while we adopt technology for promoting efficiency, accountability and transparency there is also a need to preserve and protect the core human values.” The event organised virtually saw experts from Europe, Southeast Asia and the country speaking on a range of topics from Software Technology, e-governance, cyber security, consultancy among others.

The STPI IT Export Award was presented at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 to the IT companies in different categories based on their performance and contribution to the industry.

The STPI (Software Technology Parks of India) IT Export awards were announced on Thursday at the 23rd edition of Karnataka's flagship annual technology event Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 (BTS2020).

The award — which has been conferred since the inception of the tech summit — is presented to the IT companies in different categories based on their performance and contribution to the industry.

Present during the ceremony was Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan — Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and Minister for IT, BT — who said the awards will contribute towards the government's vision of "making India a software product nation."

Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, Vision Group on Information Technology, Government of Karnataka, said, "IT companies are also evolving to adopt digital technologies faster, which demonstrates the resilience of the Indian IT industry.”

Officials from STPI, state government, and academia judged the participants based on three primary categories — export, employment, and women empowerment.

The ceremony also saw other distinguished dignitaries, including Dr Omkar Rai, DG, STPI, Government of India, and Meena Nagaraj C.N, IAS, Director, Department of Electronics, IT & BT, and Managing Director, KITS, Government of Karnataka.

Here are the winners for various categories: High Growth in IT/ITES Exports (Exports greater than Rs 5 crore and up to Rs 100 crore) - Cerium Systems Pvt. Ltd. High Growth in IT/ITES Exports (Exports greater than Rs 100 crore and up to Rs 1000 crore) - Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd. High Growth in IT/ITES Exports (Exports greater than Rs 1000 crore and up to Rs 2000 crore) - WM Global Technology Services India Pvt. Ltd.

Highest New Jobs Creator (ITES) - WM Global Technology Services India Pvt. Ltd. Best/Top Performer (Mysuru Region) - L&T Technology Services Ltd. Best/Top Performer (Mangaluru Region) - KarMic Design Pvt. Ltd. Highest Exporter in Electronic Hardware (Tier II and III region) - Cyient DLM Pvt. Ltd. Highest Exporter in Electronic Hardware (Bengaluru) - Incap Contract Manufacturing Services Pvt. Ltd. Highest New Jobs Creator (IT) - Standard Chartered Global Business Services Pvt. Ltd. Highest Exports per Employee (IT) - Texas Instruments (India) Pvt. Ltd. Highest Exports per Employee (ITES) - Altiostar Networks India Pvt. Ltd. High Growth in Women Employment (IT) - Manipal Dot Net Pvt. Ltd., and Standard Chartered Global Business Services Pvt. Ltd. High Growth in Women Employment (ITES) - FNF India Pvt. Ltd. IT Pride of Karnataka (Exports greater than Rs 2000 crore and up to Rs 10000 crore) 

Accenture Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Dell International Services India Pvt. Ltd EIT Services India Pvt. Ltd. Goldman Sachs Services Pvt. Ltd. IBM India Pvt. Ltd. Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd. JP Morgan Services India Pvt. Ltd. Mindtree Ltd. Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd Robert Bosch Engineering & Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Samsung R&D Institute India- Bangalore Pvt. Ltd SAP Labs India Pvt. Ltd. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. Tech Mahindra Ltd.  VMware Software India Pvt. Ltd IT Ratna of Karnataka (Exports greater than Rs 10000 crore) - Infosys Ltd.

The STPI in partnership with MeitY finalises 23 blockchain startups under ‘Idea Challenge Program’ for its first cohort

The selected startups include WhatsLoan, RealX and others

Origo Commodities is leveraging blockchain technology to bring securitised agri commodity to India’s capital markets via TradeFi, backed by physical commodities at the warehouse

The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), under its Apiary initiative has selected 23 blockchain startups under ‘Idea Challenge Program,’ for the first cohort, a person close to the advisory committee told Inc42. 

The Apiary initiative is a centre of excellence (CoE) in blockchain technology at the STPI backed by MeitY and Government Blockchain Association (GBA). The selected startups include WhatsLoan, RealX and others. 

STPI told us it is yet to officially announce the results. However, according to its website, it had received close to over 110 applications for the programme and 44 startups were shortlisted to pitch their blockchain solutions across various categories, including agritech (18), e-governance (14), finance (15), healthcare (16), pharmaceuticals (3), supply chain (26) and others (18). 

For instance, blockchain-enabled real estate startup RealX which was selected as part of the first cohort enables customers to buy, sell and gain from fractional ownership in properties, where all property deals, after due diligence, are presented online for expression of interest. 

Once the property reaches its sale price, the property goes offline and the sale is executed at the registrar. Post-registration, the same set of records is created on the blockchain-based registry system called PropChain.   

Similarly, blockchain-based fintech startup WhatsLoan also part of the cohort offers unique digital financial identity to customers, where it helps them open a bank account, to save money, invest in mutual funds and securities, purchase life, general insurance and other financial instruments across BFSI providers in India. 

Previously, during the launch of the programme, the director-general of STPI Omkar Rai said the programme will help startups gain access to mentors, capital, market and infrastructure to focus on developing innovative products and solutions leveraging blockchain technology. At the time, STPI had also said that it plans to incubate close to 100+ startups by 2025. 
 

NEW DELHI: The value of software exports by units registered under STPI is estimated to have touched Rs 2.49 lakh crore in April-September, and numbers for the full fiscal year are expected to be almost similar to previous year's, despite COVID-19 related challenges, a top official said. The exports clocked by STPI-registered units stood at Rs 4,47,750 crore in 2019-20, about 6 per cent higher than the previous year. The exports stood at Rs 4,21,103 crore during 2018-19.

According to latest data by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), exports by these units are estimated at Rs 1.21 lakh crore in September quarter of the current fiscal year, and Rs 1.27 lakh crore in preceding June quarter.

"The data that is coming in, is encouraging. Exports continued during lockdown, as we took immediate steps to facilitate work-from-home and remote working. Trends in data show that exports for full year 2020-21 will be able to reach near-similar levels as last fiscal," STPI Director General Omkar Rai said.

STPI is an autonomous society set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in 1991, with the objective of encouraging, promoting and boosting the software exports from India.

By implementing Software Technology Park (STP) and Electronic Hardware Technology Park (EHTP) schemes, STPI focuses on building an enabling ecosystem to provide single window clearance services, reliable internet connectivity, incubation facilities and other infrastructure services to encourage software exports from the country.

STPI aims to foster a conducive environment for startups, backed by projects and initiatives such as establishment of Centres of Excellence in emerging technologies and execution of Next Generation Incubation Scheme.

On business outlook for the fiscal, Rai said some impact was seen in small and medium enterprises serving tourism and hospitality -- sectors that were hit by the pandemic. However, this is likely to be offset by revival in other industries.

"Exports growth is expected to continue in Banking Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), Hi-tech, manufacturing sectors. We don't anticipate much impact on software exports per se....Some sectors have taken a hit, but sectors like BFSI have seen return of growth due to enormous adoption of digital technologies," he said.

Moreover, demand is flowing in for data analytics, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality for creating world-class software products, he added.

Indian tech companies continued to deliver service through the lockdown period, he said.

STPI's offices continued to function during the lockdown period and online facilities were made available to ensure IT units do not face difficulties, he added.