PANAJI
The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) incubation centre at Udyog Bhavan in Panaji is ready, but it has not been inaugurated yet.
It was in 2015 that the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) had decided to have an incubation centre at Udyog Bhawan. More than two years down the line, STPI has invested in the incubation centre and the work on it is already over, but the state government has still not inaugurated it.
Due to this, start-ups from the state have not been able to move into the incubation centre. The young tech companies have time and again demanded that they should be given an office space at subsidised rate in Panaji. This is because Panaji has better internet connectivity and infrastructure than other parts of Goa.
It is this gap that this incubation centre is going to fill up. Sources also revealed that Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) has worked on the interiors of this incubation centre and that work is over. It is further reported that GSIDC has sent a letter to DoIT and STPI both to take over the formal possession of the incubation centre in Udyog Bhavan.
A highly placed source in the government on condition of anonymity said, “The STPI Incubation Centre is ready. The state government in all probability will inaugurate it in two-three weeks. STPI officials are coming next week to Goa and then the DoIT will take the formal possession of the incubation centre.”
The source continued, “In this incubation centre, the idea is to give space to mature start-ups, which want to become full-fledged IT companies. These mature start-ups would have already incubated at another incubation centre and have moved on to the next stage. However, they are still not in position to take up office space on their own. This is where the state government has decided to give them office space in STPI Incubation Centre.”
