CM Bhupendra Patel’s unique approach to encouraging young startups in the AI sector

Gandhinagar, March 2026: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, a significant ‘Startup Samvad’ (Startup Dialogue) was organised in Gandhinagar to strengthen Gujarat with scalable and effective solutions from young startups and move towards making it a global center for AI and emerging technologies.
 
During this event, the Chief Minister showed keen interest in interacting directly with around 24 high-potential startups from various states of the country and understanding their experiences and innovations.
 
During the interaction with startups, the Chief Minister stated that due to the strong foundation laid by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, the state today leads the country in rapidly adopting new technologies with financial discipline. He highlighted that Gujarat is progressing towards achieving sustainable development goals through emerging sectors such as AI, semiconductors, and green growth.
 
During the dialogue, 5 startups working on applications of AI in the agriculture sector, 3 in the health sector, 6 in various dimensions of education, and around 10 startups from government and industrial sectors presented their work and products before the Chief Minister and all attendees.
 
On this occasion, the Chief Minister stated that the government is committed to prioritising talented startups for collaboration with the State Government, thereby encouraging innovation and new entrepreneurs. He emphasised that the primary objective of the government is to further accelerate administrative processes through AI, enhance transparency, and ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach the every person swiftly through technology. He highlighted that while the State Government is ready to support every startup contributing to citizens’ welfare and improving governance efficiency, it is essential for all stakeholders to work in a unified direction to realise this vision. He stated that ‘quality’ will remain the top priority in technology-driven development.
 
During this AI Dialogue organised by the State Government’s Science and Technology Department at the Chief Minister’s residence, MoUs were signed between the department and Sarvam AI as well as startup MIKO. Additionally, the payment modalities of the AI Centre of Excellence, Gujarat were also launched.
 
Under this MoU, Sarvam AI will establish a modern Sovereign AI Park in Gujarat. This AI Park will feature high-end computing infrastructure, research and innovation centers, skill development for youth, AI-based solutions for governance, and technologies for improving citizen services, all within a single campus.
 
As a result of this MoU, large-scale employment opportunities will be created over the next five years and establish a strong ecosystem for AI and emerging technologies. It will also promote startups and innovation while making government services smarter and faster.
 
To ensure successful implementation of this project, the State Government will provide necessary approvals and clearances on a priority basis, extend policy-based support, and coordinate with relevant departments to facilitate timely completion.
 
Under the leadership of Chief Minister, the Gujarat Government has announced a clear and transparent financial support model under the AI Innovation Challenge to enable startups to develop and rapidly implement innovative AI solutions. This initiative will provide strong financial assistance across all stages, from Proof of Concept (PoC) development to production rollout, ensuring faster implementation of high-impact AI-based solutions in the state.
 
Under this initiative, startups will receive direct financial assistance for the PoC stage based on the use case. Funding of up to ₹7.5 lakh for moderate use case and up to ₹10 lakh for complex use case will be provided in a step-by-step manner. Under this scheme, 25% of the amount will be disbursed immediately upon selection, while the remaining 75% will be released after successful completion of the PoC.
 
After successful completion of the PoC, selected projects will receive further support for full-scale deployment. Assistance of up to ₹50 lakh for moderate projects and up to ₹1 crore for complex projects will be provided for deployment, implementation, customisation, feature enhancement, and handholding support. Additionally, startups will receive support for up to four years, including access to the Gujarat State Data Centre and AI CoE infrastructure.
 
Through this financial support model, startups will get an opportunity to work directly with the Gujarat Government. The state will benefit from rapid implementation of high-impact AI solutions, improved efficiency and transparency in governance, a stronger startup ecosystem, and establishment of Gujarat as an AI innovation hub. This initiative will further elevate the state’s digital transformation and citizen-centric governance.
 
Encouraging young startups, the Chief Minister stated that this dialogue aims to bring together such startups from across the country on a single platform to align innovative technologies with the state’s development priorities and  good governance needs.
 
Moreover, this dialogue will prove beneficial in enhancing efficiency, transparency, and citizen services across government departments by assessing emerging opportunities in AI, drones, health, agriculture, cybersecurity, sustainability, and enterprise technologies.
 
Under the leadership of Chief Minister, this Startup Dialogue has opened new avenues to prepare Gujarat for large-scale implementation of next-generation technologies and result-oriented approaches under the vision of innovation-led growth.
 
On this occasion, Additional Chief Secretary of Industries Department Smt. Mamta Verma, Additional Chief Secretary of Education Department Shri Mukesh Kumar, and Secretary of Science and Technology Department Shri P. Bharati presented detailed information on Gujarat’s startup ecosystem and the support and financial assistance provided by the government from students to startups.
 
The event was attended by Chief Minister’s Principal Advisor Dr. Hasmukh Adhia, Additional Chief Secretary Shri R.C. Meena, Shri Rajeev Topno, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Additional Principal Secretary Dr. Vikrant Pandey, Secretary of Science and Technology Department Smt. P. Bharathi, Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Ajay Kumar, OSD to the Chief Minister Atul Gor, as well as Director of IT Smt. Kavitaben and youth startups from various fields. 
 Source: Information Department, Gujarat