40 minutes, 40 answers: #StartupIndia rapid fire with Amitabh Kant

16^th January 2016 is all set to go down as the day of historic announcements for startups in India. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Government of India, is leaving no stone unturned towards the launch of the most holistic action plan for startups. The department has announced the agenda for the grand event where entrepreneurs from all parts of the country are expected to be present to share their perspectives and interact with the policy makers directly.

YourStory has partnered with the Government of India’s Startup India campaign to bring them views, opinions and suggestions of the entrepreneurs from across India. The survey which had more than 2000 respondents brought out some interesting results and expectations from the startups (read the detailed report).

In an interesting build up to the mega event, Mr Amitabh Kant, Secretary – DIPP, joined YourStory today to participate in an hour long twitter chat on #StartupIndia where he answered a series of questions from hundreds of entrepreneurs and key stakeholders of Indian startup ecosystem. The 1980 batch IAS officer has been at the helm of Make In India and the award-winning Incredible India, apart from other key campaigns.

Here is the summary of the twitter chat on #StartupIndia with Mr. Amitabh Kant:

According to Mr Amitabh Kant, Digital India initiative will play an important role in taking connectivity to the next level.

Talking about the spirit of entrepreneurship, he further answered:

He promised a robust patenting system in the country which is currently going through much needed overhaul.

Also read: Dear PM Modi, entrepreneurs have spoken! Here’s what they want from Start-up India, Stand-up India

And he also expressed his perspective on women entrepreneurship in India.

He shared learning from Incredible India and MakeInIndia campaigns. He also urged established startups to lead the way now. 

He mentioned about the government focus on key sectors.

And he also shared some government announcements to boost entrepreneurship across the country and support early-stage startups.

Mr Amitabh Kant answered more than forty questions in the brief span of 40 minutes. However, many more announcements and many more answers are expected on 16th January.

Join YourStory on 16th January for live updates from Startup India Standup India. Disclaimer: YourStory is the official partner for Startup India programme by DIPP, Government of India.