GoI launched Swachhata Startup Challenge

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India has launched a ‘Swachhata Startup Challenge’ aimed at involving innovative startups in the sanitation and waste management sector of the country. The goal of this challenge is to encourage entrepreneurs to step forward and drive transformational change in the mentioned sectors.

The initiative was launched on Thursday, January 27. It was launched in partnership with the Department of Promotion and of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) – a French development agency. The challenge is open to startups registered in India and French actors collaborating with an Indian startup as a joint venture.

The MoHUA said that the challenge invites solutions from startups on four thematic areas – social inclusion, zero dump, plastic waste management, and transparency through digital enablement. Top 10 awardees of the challenge will receive Rs 25 lakh along with one year of dedicated incubation support from the French Tech, which the French government’s initiative to promote startups.

The ministry in its notification added that eligible startups will get additional incentives including up to Rs 50 lakh follow-on investment from Villgro, the implementation partner of the challenge. Each winner will also get up to $100,000 USD in credit and technology support from Amazon Web Services, the competition’s technology partner.