DPIIT Joint Secretary Sanjiv Singh engages with Tripura start-ups, assures seed funding, manpower support and North East Start-up Conclave in Agartala. MoUs signed with NFSU and NLU under NGIN to strengthen innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Joint Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Government of India, Sanjiv Singh, on Wednesday held an interactive session with start-up founders during his visit to the Directorate of Information Technology (DIT) in Agartala. The interaction underscored the Centre’s commitment to strengthening innovation-driven entrepreneurship in the North East region.
According to officials, the discussion revolved around innovation, access to funding, incubation support, policy facilitation and long-term sustainability of start-ups in the state. Founders representing diverse sectors showcased their products and ideas, highlighting Tripura’s growing footprint in technology, agriculture, services and research-led enterprises.
Secretary of Information Technology, Tripura, Kiran Gitte, elaborated on the state government’s initiatives aimed at fostering a vibrant start-up ecosystem. He emphasized the proactive role of the Directorate of Information Technology in implementing structured support mechanisms, including financial incentives, incubation frameworks and mentoring networks.
Director of Information Technology, Jeya Ragul Geshan B, presented a detailed roadmap of the Start-up Tripura programme under the Tripura Start-up Policy 2025. The policy, launched by Chief Minister Manik Saha, aims to position Tripura as a competitive innovation hub in the North East. Officials informed that more than 100 start-ups have been approved under the policy so far, with 48 formally recognized. Several ventures have already received proof-of-concept grants and fiscal incentives to scale their operations.
During the session, Sanjiv Singh assured full support from DPIIT to further accelerate start-up growth in the state. He announced that the Centre would assist Tripura in organizing a North East Start-up Conclave in Agartala, which is expected to bring together innovators, investors and policymakers from across the region. He further stated that seed funding has been earmarked specifically for start-ups in the North East and that additional manpower would be deployed to provide dedicated assistance to entrepreneurs in Tripura.
Around ten start-ups set up exhibition stalls at the venue, offering live demonstrations of their products and services. The exhibition reflected the state’s expanding innovation base and the growing confidence among young entrepreneurs.
In a major development, memoranda of understanding were signed between the Directorate of Information Technology and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) Tripura Campus and the National Law University (NLU) Tripura. The institutions were onboarded under the New Generation Innovation Network (NGIN) initiative. NFSU Tripura Campus Director H K Pratihari and NLU Tripura Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Pratap Singh were present during the signing ceremony.
Officials stated that the collaboration aims to promote research-based entrepreneurship, strengthen incubation support within higher educational institutions and integrate academic research with market-driven innovation. Under the NGIN scheme, ten institutions, including Tripura University, NIT Agartala, ICFAI University and the College of Agriculture, have already been integrated into the state’s start-up ecosystem.
The state government has also envisioned a Rs 50 crore Start-up Venture Fund, with Rs 15 crore contributed by the state, to catalyze investment and scale promising ventures.
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Officials recalled that senior Union government representatives, including the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, had previously engaged with start-ups at the Start-up Incubation Centre in Agartala, reinforcing sustained central support for the state’s innovation landscape.
With enhanced policy backing, dedicated funding mechanisms and institutional collaborations, Tripura’s start-up ecosystem appears poised for accelerated growth, signaling a transformative phase in the state’s entrepreneurial journey.
