Patna, July 14 (IANS) Taking a step towards strengthening the start-up ecosystem in Bihar, State Industry Minister Nitish Mishra on Monday inaugurated the ‘Bihar Idea Festival Portal’ at Vikas Bhawan in Patna.

The digital platform aims to directly connect the youth of the state, girl students, start-ups, self-help groups, and entrepreneurs with the schemes of the Industry Department in Bihar.

The launch of ‘Bihar Idea Festival Portal’ coincides with the final phase of the ‘Bihar Idea Festival 2025’, a two-day fair that is currently underway in Patna and that has been attracting numerous participants.

The festival, that has been organised across 24 districts so far, has collected business ideas from participants, with selected ideas receiving support from the Bihar government and investor linkages worth over Rs 50 crore.

Winners will get an opportunity to pitch for seed funding of up to Rs 10 lakh under the ‘Start-up Bihar Policy’.

Industry Department Secretary, Sanjay Kumar Singh, said the portal will allow students and youth from any corner of Bihar to submit ideas and access government schemes easily.

“Through this digital portal, youth or students from any corner of the state can now share their ideas and benefit from the department’s schemes,” said Sanjay Kumar Singh.

The launch event was attended by Khadi Director Mukul Gupta, Handicrafts and Silk Director Dr. Mihir Tripathi, startup incubation heads, coordinators, and numerous start-up founders.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Nitish Mishra said the portal would serve as a milestone for new thinking, a new future, and self-reliance in Bihar, aligning with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s vision of making Bihar the capital of innovation.

“We want to make Bihar the capital of innovation through initiatives like this,” Nitish Mishra told the participants.

The ‘Bihar Idea Festival Portal’ can be accessed at www.startupbihar.in, where students, youth, and entrepreneurs can register their business ideas and connect with industry schemes for support in setting up their own businesses.

–IANS

ajk/rad