Meghalaya gears up to revamp Startup Policy

Shillong, Aug 1 (PTI) Having championed local entrepreneurs through its flagship initiative PRIME for the past seven years, the Meghalaya government is now gearing up for a new Startup Policy aimed at keeping pace with emerging sectors and startup needs.

An official said that the new policy is in the anvil, as the government engages with entrepreneurs and ecosystem stakeholders in a series of dialogues to craft the next big leap.

Planning Department Secretary Cyril V Diengdoh said Meghalaya must now shift from grant-led entrepreneurship to scalable, innovation-driven enterprise building - a sentiment that set the tone for a high-level Roundtable Conference organised by PRIME Meghalaya on Thursday.

Delivering the keynote address, Diengdoh underscored the urgency for a policy revamp that goes beyond enabling support and directly addresses market access, value chain integration, and aggregation of small businesses.

Stakeholders stressed the need for sharper financial incentives, fostering youth-led innovation, deeper engagement with educational institutions, and support for startups solving social and environmental challenges - ranging from waste management to urban congestion.

The conference also identified key growth sectors such as agri-tech, tourism, traditional crafts, and digital services for targeted interventions.

With this renewed push, the state reaffirmed its commitment to policy evolution, ecosystem collaboration, and sustained capacity building.

PRIME Meghalaya will continue to anchor this transformation -- translating bold vision into actionable policies that connect startups to opportunities and people to progress, an official said. PTI JOP NN