The 23-day-long Startup Yatra J&K – an initiative to promote startups, Friday culminated at Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute’s Main campus Pampore with the Grand Finale.
According to an EDI statement, the finale was marked by the distribution of awards (prize money) among 20 innovators from the state in the fields of Agriculture, Social, Technology and Womenpreneur and a special Jury Award.
A total of 182 participants had pitched their ideas out of which 75 were shortlisted for the Accelerator Program. Out of these 20 innovators were awarded in these categories based on the kind of problems they intend to solve, and the revenue or business model used by them. Prize money of Rs 10 lakh was distributed among the 20 winners in these categories after their ideas and innovations were duly screened by a 10-member jury team. Jury Award of Rs One Lakh was given to Mr. Waseem Ahmad Nadaf for his innovation in water purification and was declared as the ‘Hero of the State’.
All the shortlisted innovators were offered incubation facilities at JKEDI.
The award winners include Mahid Rafiq, Muhammad Rafiq Ahanger, Sabzar Ahmad Wani, Sheikh Zubair Ahmad, Irshad Hussain Shah, Vishwas Modanwal, Sahil Koul and Team, Kumail Muzaffar and Team, Muhammad Naseer-ul-Haq, Peerzada Akhter Hussain, Muhtaq Ahmad Dar, Syed Muneer Iqbal, Sabzar, Ahmad, Wasif and Team, Shubham Kumar, Aman Sharma, Asfa and Nusaiba, Dr. Tasleema Jan, Insha Ashraf, Mehraab Ishfaq Ada and Samiyan.
The prize money winners are from different areas of the state including Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Shopian, Pulwama and Jammu.
Principal Secretary to Government, Industries and Commerce Department, Shailendra Kumar was the chief guest on the occasion. Director JKEDI, M I Parray, Vice Chancellor IUST, Awantipora, Prof Mushtaq Siddiqui, Director Industries Kashmir, Sh. Bilal Ahmad and Prof. Sidiqqui from SKUAST-K were also present on the occasion.
The yatra was earlier flagged off by the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu and Director JKEDI, from the institute’s Jammu campus on September 27. During yatra there were numerous van stops and boot camps were held after the students shared their ideas with the Startup India representatives.