Latest news with #PravinPardeshi
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Coming soon, white paper on public transport in Mumbai
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA), functioning as a state govt advisor similar to NITI Aayog, is preparing to release a white paper addressing public transport buses, encompassing BEST and private bus aggregators in Mumbai. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The report will present recommendations to the state govt regarding the enhancement of BEST's financial status and operational efficiency in Mumbai, while improving services for passengers using premium aggregator buses such as Cityflo and inter-state buses. A meeting was convened by MITRA on Wednesday, with participation from CEO Pravin Pardeshi, BEST general manager SVR Srinivas, WRI India representatives, and various transport specialists and analysts. The discussions included proposals for BEST to utilise private school and corporate buses during their inactive periods for transporting passengers on shorter routes. This arrangement would provide additional income for private operators while helping BEST, whose fleet reached its lowest point in 15 years, to service feeder routes, particularly near railway and Metro stations with continuous passenger flow. Another proposal discussed at Wednesday's meeting involved developing space above BEST depots, allocating two floors for BEST offices whilst designating remaining floors for commercial use, ensuring steady revenue for the financially constrained organisation. This concept draws from Japanese cities where land resources generate supplementary income for public transport operations. A recent MITRA meeting also explored the possibility of allowing premium aggregator buses to park in designated areas within BEST depots. This arrangement would provide parking facilities for private operators to expand their fleet whilst generating revenue for BEST through substantial parking fees. The meeting suggested the development of underground and multi-deck parking facilities at BEST's 27 depots to increase capacity. All these will be part of the white paper being prepared in order to revive BEST, streamline private bus operations, and improve services for commuters for all categories of buses.
Entrepreneur
14-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Maharashtra to Launch Ambitious Startup and Innovation Policy to Empower Grassroots Entrepreneurs
The policy plans to register 5 lakh skilled youth as "pre-innovators," offering collateral free loans of INR 5–10 lakh with 50% interest subsidy to promote grassroots entrepreneurship and real-world business experience. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In a bold move to foster grassroots entrepreneurship and formalise traditional enterprises, the Maharashtra government is on the verge of finalising a comprehensive 'Startup and Innovation Policy'. Designed in collaboration with senior bureaucrat Pravin Pardeshi and renowned scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, the policy aims to provide structured support to scale up startups and innovations across the state. The policy targets the registration of 5 lakh technically skilled youth, including ITI students, 10th pass individuals, and beneficiaries of the Vishwakarma scheme, as "pre-innovators." These individuals will be eligible for collateral free loans ranging from INR 5 lakh to INR 10 lakh, with the government subsidising 50 percent of the interest. The initiative aims to give them real world business experience right from the start. "Most entrepreneurs fail because they lack practical experience. Innovation without experience rarely succeeds. Our model ensures each candidate begins with hands-on business exposure," said a senior government official. After one year, participants will take a simple aptitude test, through which 1 lakh will be selected to move to the next stage as 'innovators'. These individuals will receive technical, financial, and marketing mentorship through district level expert groups. By the third year, 25,000 will evolve into full fledged startups eligible for funding from central, state, and private sources. The policy also addresses a long standing gap in India's startup ecosystem. Despite a decade of national startup programmes, only 1.6 lakh startups are registered across the country, with a success rate of just 10 percent. State officials argue that the lack of structured guidance and practical exposure is a major reason for this shortfall. Another major thrust of the policy is the modernisation of traditional family run businesses in agriculture, dairy, handicrafts, and similar sectors. These will be supported in transitioning into scalable, modern enterprises. To this end, the government plans to set up district level innovation hubs and micro incubators, along with Innovation Centres in every Industrial Training Institute (ITI). The state will also roll out the Chief Minister's Innovator Scheme, which offers collateral free loans with a 50 percent interest subsidy and a one year repayment moratorium. Importantly, subsidies will be routed directly to financial institutions, avoiding direct transfers to individuals. Industry partners are expected to play a key role. The policy offers them a host of incentives including tax benefits, reimbursement of seat fees, access to ITI campuses for exhibitions and job fairs, and the opportunity to run additional training batches via Maharashtra Skill University. "We are changing the entire face of ITIs," said Skill Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha. "A new government resolution will be out within two months. We're not only revamping ITI courses but also launching teacher training. I was shocked to know that some ITI teachers haven't received training in 35 years. How can they teach effectively without it?" To support modern industry needs, ITIs will be equipped with electric vehicles, drones, solar tech, robotics, and 3D printing tools. "We'll also have experts on site to ensure machines are fixed quickly," Lodha added. When asked about declining student registrations in ITIs, Lodha acknowledged the issue, saying, "We were unaware of this trend as admission numbers looked fine. But we're introducing changes this year to address this, and we're confident students will return." Six new courses are being introduced this year, tailored to the needs of local industries. Lodha also encouraged ITIs to offer popular and short term courses to attract more students and promote growth. "This policy isn't just about startups. It's about employment, skills, and real enterprise," said Lodha.
Hindustan Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
State to launch new startup policy to encourage budding entrepreneurs
Pune: To boost grassroots entrepreneurship and formalise traditional enterprises, the state government is finalising a comprehensive 'Startup and Innovation Policy'. Designed in consultation with senior bureaucrat Pravin Pardeshi and renowned scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, the policy aims to scale up startups and innovation through structured support. Minister M P Lodha also said that from this year, ITIs will be equipped with electric vehicles, drones, solar technology, robotics, and additive manufacturing. (HT) The policy aims to register 5 lakh technically-skilled youth, including ITI students, 10th-pass candidates, and beneficiaries of the Vishwakarma scheme, as pre-innovators. These individuals will receive financial assistance in the form of collateral free loans ranging from 5 lakh to 10 lakh, with the government subsidising 50 percent of the interest. The objective is to enable them to launch real businesses from day one, gaining hands-on experience before progressing to the next stages of innovation and entrepreneurship. After one year, a simple aptitude test will help identify one lakh candidates, who will advance to the next stage as 'innovators'. They will receive technical, financial, and marketing guidance through district level expert groups. Two years into the programme, 25,000 innovators will transition to the third stage of full-fledged startups, eligible for funding from central, state, and private sources. State officials highlighted the need for such a programme, pointing out that even after 10 years of national startup programmes, India has only 1.6 lakh registered startups, with a success rate of just 10%. According to them, most aspiring entrepreneurs lack real world business exposure. 'Innovation without experience rarely succeeds. Our model ensures that each individual starts by doing real business,' said a senior government official. The policy also aims to convert traditional family-run businesses in agriculture, dairy, handicraft, and other sectors into scalable startups. To support this, the state will establish innovation hubs and micro incubators at the district level. Each ITI in the state will house an Innovation Centre, providing space for skill development, product display, industrial exhibitions, and recruitment drives. Another key component is the Chief Minister's Innovator Scheme, which will provide collateral free loans to technically-skilled youth. These loans will carry a 50% interest subsidy, and borrowers will be granted a one-year moratorium, with no direct subsidy being transferred to individuals. The subsidy will go directly to financial institutions The policy offers significant incentives for industry partners as well. These include tax benefits, reimbursement on seat fees, permission to use ITI campuses for exhibitions and job fairs, and access to campus space for product sales and services. Industry partners will also be allowed to run additional batches and skill courses through affiliation with Maharashtra's Skill University. Officials say the policy is not only about promoting startups but also about ensuring employment, skill building, and enterprise development. Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said, 'We are changing the entire face of ITIs. A new government resolution (GR) will be issued within the next two months, which will completely transform ITIs. We are providing everything necessary to renovate these courses. We are even starting training programmes for teachers. I was shocked to know that some teachers haven't received any training in the last 35 years. How can they effectively teach students without it? Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has allocated 10 crore to start a teacher training centre at Aundh.' Lodha also said that from this year, ITIs will be equipped with electric vehicles, drones, solar technology, robotics, and additive manufacturing. 'These ITIs will include both machinery and expert support. If any machine stops working, an expert will be available on site, so there will be no need to wait for a long time to get it repaired,' said the minister. When HT asked him about the lower number of student registrations in ITIs of late, the minister responded, 'We were unaware of this situation. We were only focusing on admission numbers which are increasing every year Now, we will focus on this issue. We are introducing many changes this year, and we are confident that students will definitely take admission.' Starting this year, six new courses are being introduced in ITIs across the state. Each ITI would launch one or two courses based on the specific needs of the industries in their surrounding area. 'ITIs should also consider launching popular courses that are in high demand. Short-term courses ranging from three to six months can also be started to generate extra revenue and promote institutional growth,' said Lodha.
