Arunachal Pradesh emerging as major power hub: CM Pema Khandu
He emphasized that start-ups should explore subsidiary industries associated with large investments to increase cost efficiency and project viability. Khandu said India’s startup ecosystem has witnessed transformational growth in the last decade, with Arunachal Pradesh emerging as a strong and competitive participant, especially from the North East.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of Startup Arunachal Day 2026 as part of the Innovation Month – 10 Years of Startup India organized by the Department of Planning and Investment, the Prime Minister reminded that the Startup India initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016, at a time when the number of startups in the country was limited. He said that in the last decade, the ecosystem has expanded to more than two lakh startups across the country, with a significant presence in Tier-II and Tier-III cities and significant participation of women entrepreneurs. He noted that startups have created nearly 20 lakh direct jobs across the country.
Referring to the journey of Arunachal Pradesh, Khandu said that the Arunachal Pradesh Innovation and Investment Park (APIIP) was opened in 2020, during the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the state had turned the crisis into an opportunity through concerted efforts led by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who also holds the Finance, Planning and Investment portfolio, Planning Department and APIIP team. Since then, the program has completed five years and has produced many successful entrepreneurial stories from the state.
Giving examples, he touched upon startups that overcame difficulties related to finance and market access and eventually grew with corporate support. He said such success stories reflect the potential of the youth in the state, and for this, only the right grip and the right platform is needed.
The Prime Minister said the youth of Arunachal Pradesh has excelled in many fields, including sports, music and entrepreneurship in the last decade. He reiterated that the government is providing seed funding and mentoring under APIIP and announced that the amount of seed funding has been doubled based on its performance. It also announced that intake capacity will be doubled for the upcoming Cohort 5.0.
He also stated that the government has recommended the Planning Department to identify a larger area for APIIP to strengthen its institutional capacity. He added that the post of Director (Investment) has already been created to strengthen the startup ecosystem. He announced that APIIP will be converted into a Section 8 company under the Companies Act to provide access to venture capital, CSR funds, angel investments and national and international financial institutions for enhanced startup support.
Emphasizing the importance of collaboration, the Prime Minister called on start-ups to work closely with universities, higher education institutions and research institutions, noting that many solutions to real-world problems already exist within academic institutions. He also highlighted the scope of drone technology in the mountainous terrain of Arunachal Pradesh and noted its potential for logistics, healthcare delivery and infrastructure support.
Speaking about broader economic challenges, he said manufacturing remains a national challenge and informed that the Government of India is considering forming a high-level committee to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem under the Make in India initiative. Citing examples like semiconductor manufacturing in Assam and ancillary opportunities for neighboring states, he said northeastern states should collectively identify areas of contribution.
The Prime Minister congratulated the APIIP team on Arunachal Pradesh being recognized as the best performing state at the national launch event held at Bharat Mandapam under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. He said the success showed the state could compete with larger states and described it as a strong motivation to raise the benchmarks even further.
He said that the government signed a memorandum of understanding with higher education institutions to establish start-up cells and announced that a budget arrangement would be made to provide financial support to these institutions. He also stated that allocations under schemes like Deendayal Upadhyaya Swavalamban Yojana will be increased to facilitate more entrepreneurs.
Urging the youth to benefit from the positive national enterprise ecosystem created under the Prime Minister’s leadership, the Prime Minister urged them to remain focused, optimistic and responsible, including through the use of digital platforms and social media. He said the role of youth will be critical in achieving the vision of a developed India, developed North East and developed Arunachal Pradesh well before 2047.
Emphasizing teamwork and cooperation, Khandu stated that development goals can only be achieved by working together, not in silos, and added that synergy will multiply the results.
