Narendra Modi’s Startup India, Standup India initiative has embarked a historic move. The bureaucrats are seamlessly making India a breeding ground for start-ups. It has already set more than a year long journey and is aiming to reach greater heights invincibly.
Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy provided an authentic user-friendly platform to Modi’s Vision. It launched a promising portal and a mobile app, last year in Jan, 2016.
On 20th March, 2017, the Startup India Mobile App was updated, it fixed minor bugs to make it, even more, user-friendly. This app is available for Android users at http://bit.ly/2naxyMW
Let’s navigate through the Mobile App.
WHAT’S NEW
The mobile app makes it handy for the users to get access to the updated information, notification, circulars issued by the Ministry for the time and over. It continuously runs a banner related to latest news, events about startup oriented updates.
Apart from the above, the App specifically provides:
• A comprehensive insight into the Action Plan.
• A summarised Status Report.
• Information on IMB ( Inter-Ministerial Board), their meetings and decisions.
• State wise Startup Policies and benefits.
• Initiatives by SIDBI and other Banks.
• Learning and Development Program.
STARTUP RECOGNITION
• Startups which qualify under the G.S.R. notification 180(e), i.e. definition of a ‘Startup’, and are incorporated in India can opt to apply for the Recognition of a Startup.
• The pre-requisites are:
(a) An innovative object
(b) Letter of Recommendation from Incubators
(c) Proof of Entity Incorporation in India
• The App provides a single screen access, where the applicants can fill in the simple Form and upload the required documents. Formats for various attachments are also provided for easy downloads in pdf formats, which needs to be uploaded along with the application form, within the App itself.
• After the submission of the Application, The same will be scrutinised by the concerned authorities. On approval, the applicant can download a digital Recognition Certificate. Simultaneously, there is an option to download Certificate of Tax exemptions.
• There is an inbuilt feature to validate the Startup Recognition Certificate Number along with an exhaustive list of entities recognised by DIPP as start-ups.
INCUBATOR RECOGNITION
• The App provides guidelines on the parameters to be recognised as an incubator. The applicant should qualify to be a startup and shall be incorporated as any of the following:
(a) Society
(b) Section 8 Company
(c) Private Limited Company
(d) Public Limited Company
(e) Limited Liability Partnership
Moreover, they need to fulfil four parameters, which are:
(a) Number of Years of establishment: At least 2 years or a Sanction Letter
(b) Number of incubates enrolled or graduated: Minimum 20 or 5 in case of Sanction Letter
(c) Infrastructure: Minimum of 5000 sq. Feet carpet area.
(d) Contact Period Engagement between incubates and members: Minimum 3 months.
• There is an inbuilt Application for, where complete details of the above-mentioned criteria need to be entered along with proofs in the form of attachments.
• On Approval of the Application, a digital Certificate of Incubator recognition will be issued; the same can be validated within the App.
Though the app seems to be very interesting and user-friendly, it still has a scope of improvement.
It is essential for the applicants to know from where exactly they can source their ‘Letter of recommendation’. While practically applying, the list of Incubators was not expressly provided within the app; henceforth they ultimately had to proceed to the online web portal to source such details.