New Delhi, Apr 6: At least 45 startups have showcased the growing role of tribal entrepreneurs in India’s startup ecosystem — marking a significant milestone in empowering tribal talent, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs said on Sunday. At the just-concluded ‘Startup Mahakumbh’ here, two tribal-led startups, incubated at IIM Kolkata and IIT Guwahati, received prestigious national recognition from Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry.

Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram congratulated the winning startups for their exemplary innovation and dedication to community-led development. They commended the efforts of all participating entrepreneurs for representing the aspirations and potential of tribal India on a national platform. Based in Gangtok, OurGuest Travels was conferred the D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) Award.

As the first Online Travel Aggregator (OTA) from northeast, it offers a curated collection of homestays, farmstays, resorts, and guided experiences across Sikkim, North Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. With over 600 homestays and 50+ guides, the platform has served more than 6,000 travellers and supports rural livelihoods and eco-tourism. This recognition is a key milestone under the Ministry’s 100-day agenda to build a strong tribal startup ecosystem.

Incubated at IIT Guwahati, Ngurie Organic received the AgriTech Award for its transformative work in sustainable agriculture. The startup harnesses data-driven research, precision agriculture, and blockchain-enabled transparency to empower farmers with solutions that: The event featured a high-impact panel titled "Investing in Bharat: Unlocking Startup Potential Beyond the Metro", with thought leaders from India’s startup and investment ecosystem.

In addition, faculty from IIT Delhi conducted a design thinking workshop, guiding tribal startups to refine and scale their business ideas. The three-day programme concluded with the distribution of participation certificates to 45 tribal startup founders,100 EMRS (Eklavya Model Residential School) students and 150 tribal students availing higher education scholarships. Participants also took part in a bootcamp at IIT Delhi and attended exposure visits across the startup ecosystem during the 'Startup Mahakumbh' event.

(IANS)

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