Startup Upliftment and Promoting ‘Vocal for Local’ and E-Commerce is Government's Priority

Government of India has taken several steps to improve the quality standards of products manufactured under the AatmaNirbhar Bharat Campaign. This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. These inter alia include:

1.     Quality Control Orders (QCOs): Since the announcement of AatmaNirbhar Bharat campaign, Central Government through its various Ministries/Departments has notified 156 products under compulsory BIS certification through issuance of QCOs. As per these QCOs, the products specified therein shall conform to the requirements of relevant Indian Standards and bear a Standard Mark under a license from Bureau of Indian Standards.

2.             Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: To provide a major boost to manufacturing, Government has launched Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for 13 sectors with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore over the next five years.

3.        Udyog Manthan: DPIIT in collaboration with D/o Commerce, QCI, NPC, Bureau of Indian Standards, Industry Chambers and line ministries conducted Udyog Manthan, a two- month long series of webinars comprising 46 sessions, focused on Quality and Productivity in all major sectors of manufacturing and services.

The steps taken by Government to uplift the startups and to promote ‘vocal for local’ campaign are as under:

i)       Government of India has extended relaxations on prior experience, prior turnover and earnest money deposit as per the provisions of GFR to ease public procurement fromstartups.

ii)       Government of India has taken up Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) Scheme and Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) to uplift the startups in the country . The objectives of Fund of Funds scheme include accelerating innovation driven entrepreneurship and business creation, mobilizing larger equity- like resources for startups. The SISFS aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trails, market entry and commercialization.

The steps taken by Government to help startups and other local manufacturers in using the e- Commerce and online platforms are as under:

1. Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is set up for providing an online platform for procurement of common use goods and services by government organizations. Any entity including DPIIT recognized startups can register on GeM as sellers and sell their products and services directly to government entities.
2. Startup Runway is developed by GeM in collaboration with DPIIT, which is a unique initiative for promoting entrepreneurship through innovation. It has been developed as a dedicated platform for startups to list their products and services for government procurement with relaxed procurement norms and regulations.