Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, on Sunday called for startups to help India become self-reliant in the energy and defence sectors, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of a crisis turned opportunity.
Every crisis, like Covid-19’s, can be turned into an opportunity. At the ET Startup Awards in Bengaluru, Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, said that Covid-19 is a big crisis and that the “biggest of the century” crisis was turned into an opportunity, where many of our boys and girls came up with innovative solutions to the problems.
Even in the current war crisis, Piyush Goyal believes there are many opportunities. The current Ukraine-Russia crisis should serve as a wake-up call to all of us to stop relying on crude oil and military hardware. He asked startups to assist India in becoming energy self-sufficient. Some startup companies are looking for new ways to indigenize defence equipment. He also stated that the current situation is perfectly aligned with the Make in India programme, which was launched eight years ago, the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, and the outcome of Covid-19, all of which are contributing to India’s growth trajectory.
The Minister assured the Startups that the government was paying attention to their needs and that its doors were open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In response to the traffic congestion in Bengaluru, Shri Goyal challenged startups to find solutions to the problem.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav presented the awards and addressed the elite gathering before the interaction session last night. According to him, the Semiconductor Policy helps startups.
Startup of the Year, Midas Touch, Women Ahead, Comeback Kid, Best on Campus, Social Enterprise, Top Innovator, Bootstrap Champ, and Covid-led Business Transformation were among the nine categories honoured by the Economic Times.