the goan I network
MARGAO
In a bid to encourage start-ups in the agriculture sector, Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai on Friday announced that the government will make a budgetary provision of Rs 25 lakh for the two agricultural starts-up shortlisted by the Forum for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship (FiiRE) hosted at the Don Bosco College of Engineering, Fatorda.
Sardesai, who also holds the Town and Country Planning (TCP) portfolio, has also mulled special zones in the ODP for institutions in Fatorda, including the Don Bosco College of Engineering, which is hosting the forum for innovation incubation.
Speaking after launching the Forum for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship (FiiRE) at the Don Bosco College of Engineering, the Agriculture Minister announced that the government will make a budgetary provision of Rs 25 lakh for the two agricultural start-ups promoted by FiiRE. “To encourage fire in the bellies of Goans, I want to announce a grant of Rs 25 lakh for the two agricultural start-ups promoted by FiiRE. The government of India has provide us Rs 10 crore to be spent for the next five years to promote start-ups. A budgetary provision will be made in the coming budget and the amount of Rs 25 lakh will be provided to FiiRE in the coming academic year,” he said, adding ‘of the two start-ups, the Krishi Star start-up is working on to create a linkage of organic agriculture’.
“Goa can be a start-up capital of India. We have to welcome start-ups. We have to take our brand Goa Forward. This brand Goa needs to be associated with knowledge-based and innovative,” he said.
On the occasion, Sardesai announced special benefits in the DOP to the premier educational institutions based in Fatorda. “When such innovation centre as FiiRE is coming in Fatorda, we need to encourage them with special zones. In Panaji, special zones have been created with 300 FAR. We will give similar benefit to the institutions in Fatorda,” he added.
FiiRE is a technology business incubator established with the support of Department of Science and Technology, government of India under the national initiative to develop and harness innovation.
FiiRE is hosted at the Don Bosco College of Engineering, Fatorda, which is promoted by the Fatorda Salesian Society, which is part of the world-wide society of Don Bosco having branches in over 100 countries.
FiiRE supports early stage technology ventures which work towards innovation, development or improvement of products or processes or services with a scalable business model. It offers incubation support, co-working space, testing laboratory, training halls and other facilities to its incubates and entrepreneurs.
With seven incubated start-ups, FiiRE is dedicated towards helping start-ups through a structured incubation process to make the start-ups investable and leverage the strengths of the ecosystem to help them grow faster.
FiiRE aspires to be the “Go To” Technology business incubator in the country with an aim to support 100 start-ups by 2-13.
Chairman of the Goa State Incubation Council Jose Manuel Norohna and Fr Kinley D’Cruz, Director Don Bosco College of Engineering, Fatorda also addressed the gathering.
