KATHUA: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, and Department of Space, MoS Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and Vice President CSIR, Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Chief Guest at Bioinnovation Connect @ Kathua, today launched the first of it’s kind BioNEST Incubator at North India’s first Industrial Biotechnology Park, Ghatti, Kathua during a largely attended event organised by CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu.
Dr Jitendra Singh upon inauguration of this unique facility said that this is a day that Kathua and the entire Jammu region will remember as the beginning of a new era of scientific enterprise and economic transformation. While addressing the audience Dr Jitendra Singh said that the facility will provide an exposure to the youth of the region for developing a new outlook.
Dr Jitendra singh said that earlier people were not aware of the concept of incubation and the Biotech park.He said that in order to fully appreciate the potential of an incubation center in Kathua it is important to understand the need and idea behind the center. In 2014, many such centres started developing all over India and new startups were coming up. This led to changing outlook of the youth but, in this region people still dependent on government jobs.
The Minister recalled that in 2014, there were 10 such centers in India and the Bio tech park at Kathua was the 11 center the foundation of which was laid in 2014-15. At that time, it was difficult for people to envisage the development it could bring about in the entire northern region. However, Dr Jitendra Singh said , now, youth are understanding the potential of this field for increasing the incomes of farmers, providing entrepreneurship options for youth and for boosting the economy of the region.
The Minister said that after the inauguration of the Biotech park in 2022, the challenge was to make it functional for which there was a need to develop a self-sustaining ecosystem. This led to BioNEST (Bioincubators Nurturing Entrepreneurship for Scaling Technologies) that will help in Technology driven innovation and scaling of technology for sustaining the startups for long term.
Dr Jitendra Singh added that with the establishment of NEST at Kathua we are becoming a part of a big ecosystem that will be the driver of growth in the region in the coming years. With facilities like distillation, fermentation, plant tissue cultures, genetic process and various platforms and laboratories the Centre will have capacity for incubating 25 startups every year. Dr Jitendra Singh said that this number is significant since there are nationally around 11000 starups in the Biotech sector and with 25 new startups being incubated at Kathua Bio Tech park, the region would become a harbinger of prosperity and innovation in the field.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the North India’s first Industrial Biotech Park was a flagship project of the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, implemented by CSIR-IIIM, Jammu and appealed to the youth and stakeholders to fully utilize this unique facility, where different kinds of job oriented skill development training will be imparted, support will be provided to startups, and agri-entrepreneurs and agri-startups will receive every kind of facility and incubation support. He emphasized that the BioNEST Incubation Centre is being established to provide incubation support to startups, innovators, particularly to the youth who wish to realise their ideas to technologies and products.
The Minister remarked that the natural advantage of the region makes Kathua a front line leader for development in the entire north India in Biotechnology sector. He said that Kathua is among the best connected destinations in North India.Moreover, the region has a lot of natural resources that are yet to be tapped for their full potential.
Dr Jitendra Singh predicted that in the coming years growth will be driven by areas that are unexplored and sectors that are untapped. This makes the Biotech plant at Kathua the natural leader of economic growth for the region since the biotechnology sector has great potential in the coming years and the Himalayan region is yet unexplored making the natural resources in the region the best option for investment and career choice for the youth. He said that this facility serves as a gateway for innovation not only from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh but also from neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. The geographical positioning combined with the region’s rich biodiversity makes Kathua uniquely suited to become North India’s startup destination in the biotechnology sector.
The Minister further revealed that six startups have been enrolled today and will receive proper training and incubation support from the facility at IBTP Kathua. Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted that there are rich bio-resources, youth, and opportunities in this region. He appealed to all the youth of the region who want to work here to definitely prepare themselves in such a way that eventually they become job givers instead of job seekers. He said that today youth was no longer bound by limited choices regarding the subjects to be chosen as the National Education Policy provides enough options to choose and switch subjects at various stages. He also mentioned that schemes of the Modi Government like Mudra Yojna provide for collateral free loans for startups and urged the youth for making smart choices and use the benefits provided by various schemes for funding , skill development and training. He further added that the online availability of information through government websites led to democratisation of opportunities, an option that was not available to the earlier generation and encouraged the youth to proactively seek such information and join the revolution that is set to take place in the sector of Biotechnology.
Dr Jitendra Singh complimented the Department of Biotechnology, GoI, under the leadership of the Secretary DBT, and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) for providing the funds to build the infrastructure here. He also appreciated CSIR-IIIM team, for mentoring the project and urged for a synergy between central government, state institutions, and research organizations thus exemplifying the spirit of cooperative federalism. Earlier Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM, informed that the Industrial Biotech Park offers comprehensive facilities, including Fermentation & Enzyme Production Facility, Phytopharma Drug Extraction Facility, Cultivation of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Micro Propagation Facility, and Central Instrumentation Facility. He further mentioned that the BioNEST incubator is BIRAC’s dedicated scheme to create globally competitive bio incubation facilities across India. He also informed about the launch of job-oriented skill development programme from today in IBTP Ghatti.
The event featured the Launch of BioNEST Bioincubation Centre, Innovation Showcase Walkthrough featuring 35 Start-up Stalls, display of outcomes from CSIR-Aroma Mission, Floriculture Mission, highlights of the work carried out under the IIIM–Technology Business Incubator, Facility Tour, Demo Zone for Farmer-Focused Biotech Solutions, MoU signing with Industry & Academic Partners, Launch of Skill Development Training ProgrammeStartup Success Stories presentations, Student & Scientist Innovator Interaction, Startup & Funding Agency Interaction, Industry & Farmer Interface, Investor & Startup Roundtable and Media Interaction.
