Summary:
New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) The Union Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry on Thursday launched the "Swachhata Start-Up Challenge" to provide an impetus to innovative start-ups to come forward and drive catalytic transformation in the sanitation and waste management sector, a statement said.
The Challenge was launched in partnership with the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
In the statement, the ministry said the Challenge, which is open to start-ups registered in India and French actors collaborating with an Indian start-up (as a joint venture), invites solutions across four thematic areas --- social inclusion, zero dump (solid waste management), plastic waste management and transparency through digital enablement.
The Challenge provides a prominent platform to participating enterprises to showcase their innovative products and services along with significant monetary and mentorship incentive.
Top 10 awardees stand to receive Rs 25 lakh along with one year of dedicated incubation support from French Tech, the French government"s initiative to promote start-ups, the statement said.
"Apart from these, eligible startups will get additional incentives which includes up to Rs 50 lakh follow-on investment from Villgro, the implementation partner of the Challenge and up to 100,000 USD worth credits and technology support from technology partner Amazon Web Services, to each winner," it stated.