Over Rs 11,606 crore booster to nurture startup ecosystem via 3 schemes: Minister

New Delhi, July 25 (IANS) The government on Friday said that a net commitment of Rs 9,994 crore has been made to 141 Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) supported under the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) scheme (till June 30), as it aims to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation.

Under the ‘Startup India’ initiative, the government is implementing three flagship schemes -- FFS, Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) to support startups at various stages of their business cycle.

FFS has been established to catalyse venture capital investments and is operationalised by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), which provides capital to Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)-registered AIFs, which in turn, invest in startups, said Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

SISFS provides financial assistance to seed-stage startups through incubators. Rs 945 crore have been approved to 219 selected incubators (as of June 30), the minister said.

CGSS, implemented to enable collateral-free loans to startups through eligible financial institutions, is operationalised by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) Limited.

"As on June 30, 2025, 289 loans amounting to Rs. 667.85 crore have been guaranteed for startup borrowers," said Prasada.

As per the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the Project ‘Swavalambini’ is being implemented through autonomous institutes, namely the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati, in collaboration with NITI Aayog and its Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP).

The project includes Entrepreneurship Awareness Training and Entrepreneurship Development Training for students, as well as a Faculty Development Programme (FDP) for capacity building of faculty members.

"As on June 30, 2025, Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes have been organised for 591 students and FDPs have been completed for 43 faculty members of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)," the minister said.

--IANS

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