In what has been pitched as a first-of-its kind move on a large scale, students studying in government schools and government-funded colleges and institutions in the Capital will be eligible for seed funding of up to Rs 10 lakh to launch their entrepreneurial ventures under the Start-Up and Incubation policy approved by the Delhi government, officials said on Thursday.“Our government will invest Rs 400 crore in the policy over the next five years. The policy is not just to help people launch start-ups, but to transform Delhi’s youth from job seekers into job creators,” Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said.The CM said the policy will be implemented across 11 state universities, 13 government-funded colleges, polytechnic institutes, and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Delhi government schools. She added that the policy aims to build a strong innovation ecosystem across the educational institutions of the Capital. The alumni of Delhi government schools will also be eligible to secure seed funding under this policy.Education Minister Ashish Sood said, “This policy is not for general public…the aim is to help students develop and incubate their ideas at an early level, so that by the time they pass out from schools and college, they become job providers…by handholding students at every stage from guiding them from idea stage to developing prototype till they take patent for their innovation.”Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa underlined that the student-focussed policy promises “Rs 10 lakh fund in different stages of their projects growth.”Incubation centres, annual fairs As per officials, this will be a first-of-its kind policy focused on students with the Delhi government investing on a large-scale. Under the policy, officials added, the government also plans to strengthen incubation centers in schools and colleges. Besides, new incubation centers will be set up at the colleges and school campuses to nurture ideas among students and help them execute it.The CM said the government will provide one-time financial assistance to eligible institutions for setting up and strengthening incubation centres. In addition, these centres will receive annual operational support for mentoring, networking, innovation activities and the overall development of the start-up ecosystem.Story continues below this ad“Start-ups associated with these incubation centres will receive financial assistance at different stages of their growth. The support will cover various phases, including prototype development, proof of concept, product development, market validation and commercialisation, enabling promising ideas to grow into successful enterprises,” she said.Incubation centres will provide young entrepreneurs with modern infrastructure, expert mentoring, business advisory services, intellectual property support, access to laboratories and testing facilities, as well as opportunities to connect with investors and industry, the CM said.Under the policy, the government will also organise an Annual ‘Delhi Start-up Youth Festival’ to bring together young innovators, educational institutions, start-ups, investors, industry representatives and policymakers on a common platform to showcase new ideas, build partnerships and inspire entrepreneurship among the youth.Further, a State Incubation Policy Monitoring Committee (SIPMC) will be set up comprising members from government , educational institutions and industry, to oversee the implementation of the policy.Govt attacks AAP Story continues below this adThe previous AAP government had also floated a start-up policy but it never took off. However, it implemented Business Blasters scheme in schools for students in 2021 under which students studying in Class XI and XII were to be given Rs 2,000 to start their businesses under Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum.Later, the AAP government announced in the 2024-25 Budget that this scheme will be expanded to universities and ITIs and allocated Rs 15 crore.Attacking the previous government, however, Education Minister Sood said, “As per the records and files that we have seen, the previous AAP government did nothing but publicity. Its scheme started in 2021 and ended in 2022. The entire budget allocated for the project was Rs 22 crore, whereas our budget for this policy is Rs 400 crore. It is a full-fledged policy that aims to develop and nurture young minds and their ideas, and help them become future business leaders and entrepreneurs.”He added that students can draw inspiration for innovative ideas related to new age technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and drones will be welcome and the government will support them.