Delhi govt extends Business Blasters prog to varsities, ITIs

New Delhi: In a significant step towards promoting entrepreneurship and addressing unemployment, the Delhi government has expanded its successful Business Blasters initiative to universities and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the city. Chief Minister Atishi officially launched the Business Blasters Seniors program at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-Delhi) on Tuesday.

The program, which was first introduced in Delhi government schools, now aims to empower university and ITI students to transform their innovative ideas into successful startups. Under this initiative, students will receive seed money of up to Rs 50,000 per team to kick-start their ventures and will also benefit from mentorship to guide them through the process of building a business.

In her address at the launch, CM Atishi encouraged students to take on the role of job creators rather than job seekers. “The introduction of Business Blasters in our higher education institutions will create future job creators who will tackle unemployment and make India the number one country in the world,” she stated.

She explained the need for the program, saying, “Today, Indians hold leadership positions in many of the world’s largest and most renowned companies... Yet, unemployment in our country remains high. About 42 per cent of graduates are unemployed.” Atishi emphasised that despite India’s wealth of talent, fear and societal pressures have confined youth to the pursuit of jobs rather than the creation of them. “If all our youth join the line to seek jobs, who will create jobs?” she asked.

The Business Blasters Seniors program builds on the success of the initiative in schools. CM Atishi shared inspiring stories of students who had already used the program to launch their businesses, such as Ashish, a student who started a logistics startup while in school and now employs 50 people. She also highlighted the success of a young girl from East Delhi, whose Bluetooth speaker startup attracted investors.

“At the launch of the program, three young entrepreneurs from Delhi Government schools shared their startup journeys. If these 19-year-olds are guiding university students on launching startups, I’m confident they will fulfill this need for jobs,” Atishi remarked.

The program aims to discover and nurture new startups, create job opportunities, and promote innovation. Students will pitch their business ideas, with 1,000 teams receiving seed funding to start their ventures. The top 100 teams will present their ideas to investors, giving them a platform to grow their businesses.