NITI Aayog is organizing panel discussion at Vigyan Bhawan tomorrow on 4th December with the key stakeholders to give a boost to innovation, entrepreneurship and start-ups across the country. Leading lights from academia, industry and Government would take part in the deliberations. Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr. Arvind Panagariya will chair the two panel discussions on entrepreneurship and innovation. The participants at the session on entrepreneurship include Prof. Tarun Khanna, Director, South Asia Institute, Harvard University along with the Dr. Anup Pujari the Secretary in the Department of MSME among others. The participants at the session on innovation include Dr. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary in the Department of Science &Technology and Prof. Vijay Chandra among others.

The move comes close on the heels of Government decision to set up the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and a mechanism to be known as SETU (Self Employment and Talent Utilisation) in NITI Aayog. The AIM will act as a platform to promote a network of world-class Innovation hubs and Grand Challenges for India. SETU will be a Techno-Financial, Incubation and Facilitation Program to support all aspects of start-up businesses, and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology-driven areas. With a view to further these initiatives,

NITI Aayog had constituted an Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Prof. Tarun Khanna, Director, South Asia Institute, Harvard University. The Expert Committee has submitted its report on Innovation and Entrepreneurship which is available on the NITI Aayog’s website. The recommendations of the expert committee would be taken up for the discussion at the two sessions with key stakeholders to take forward the Government’s agenda to give boost to innovation, entrepreneurship and start-ups.. It is expected that the deliberations will help in the sharing of ideas and best practices to give a fillip to the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.

Innovation policy advances as Atal Innovation Mission and SETU mobilize incubation and techno financial support for start ups. The event is framed to operationalize recent institutional measures: the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) as a platform to promote a network of innovation hubs and Grand Challenges, and SETU (Self Employment and Talent Utilisation) as a Techno Financial, Incubation and Facilitation Program to support start ups and self employment in technology driven areas. An Expert Committee has submitted a report on innovation and entrepreneurship; its recommendations, published on NITI Aayog's website, will be discussed to inform AIM, SETU and related support mechanisms for incubation, financing and policy coordination.