Start-ups require strong industry management linkage for their sustainability, said Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh here on Monday. He said Institutions like IIM have an important role to play in it.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Orientation Programme for the fresh batch of MBA students of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) here, Dr Jitendra Singh said, most of the successful start-up stories have been possible due to strong industry linkages.

“For example, in Aroma mission, Government became an enabler by ensuring capacity building of those engaged in agri start-ups in lavender and facilitating the market access to spur sale of Himalayan products like lavender-made perfumes and other products,” he explained.

The Minister said, tapping the Himalayan bio-resources and unexplored minerals along coastal areas can make great value addition to India’s economy and boost ‘AtmaNirbharta’.

“India’s coastal states and Himalayan States/UTs like J&K have a lot to offer to the country’s future economy.”

Talking about the aspirational generation, Dr Jitendra Singh said, there are better times happening under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said Start-Ups are booming, and, as a result, new opportunities are opening.

“Technology has been a great leveller so that everybody from every region has an opportunity,” he stated.

The Union Minister said the youth must harness the technology which has created a level-playing field for societal goods. Earlier, technology was a privilege of a few, he pointed out.

Dr Jitendra Singh called upon the students to gear themselves up in order to take the leadership role of India of 2047.

“Youth will be the architects of a developed India when it completes the centenary of its Independence in 2027,” he said, adding that the government is making tireless efforts to equip its younger generation with new skills and training and world- class education to mould them into architects of a developed India.

“NEP 2020 brought by Prime Minister Modi will contribute to this goal,” he said.

On IIIM-Jammu’s progress, Dr Jitendra Singh said, that in just a few years of its establishment, it has risen to become one of the better ones among the new lot of such premiere institutions of higher learning in the country.

“Beginning from infancy, when we were finding difficulty even to find faculty, it has come a long way in its small journey”, the Minister said.

“The establishment of IIM Jammu is a significant step towards realising his dream of providing quality education and producing leaders who will drive the nation towards unprecedented growth and development to achieve the target of Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh advocated for forging collaboration and synergy among institutions for greater benefit to their students. “The age of working in silos is over; the era of collaboration is here”, the Minister declared, encouraging IIM-Jammu, AIIMS-Jammu, IIT-Jammu and Central University of Jammu to enter into partnership by inking MoUs on Research and Development and Artificial Intelligence.

Earlier upon his arrival, Dr Jitendra Singh took a tour of the state-of-the-art campus of IIM-Jammu alongside its Director Prof. BS Sahay and Director, AIIMS, Jammu, Dr Shakti Kumar Gupta. On the occasion, he planted a sapling.