ITANAGAR, Oct 13 : Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday announced a slate of new initiatives to deepen the State's startup and investment ecosystem, including an Arunachal Creative Economy (ACE) programme from the Chief Minister's Office and an expert think tank, the Institute for Transforming Arunachal (ITA), which he described as a “mini NITI Aayog” for the State.
The Chief Minister was speaking at a programme marking the graduation of Cohort 4 and the commencement of Cohort 5 of the Arunachal Pradesh Entrepreneurship Development Program (APEDP), the inauguration of satellite incubation cells in seven higher education institutions, and the signing of MoUs with five more.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, the Chief Secretary, Planning and Investment Commissioner, Arunachal Pradesh Innovation & Investment Park (APIIP) CEO and officers, a representative of NITI Aayog, senior officials and young entrepreneurs attended the event.
The ACE programme, Khandu said, will give young people with creative ideas a platform to turn them into economic enterprises. The ITA will bring subject experts together to guide policy in sectors such as agriculture and allied activities and tourism.
He also said he is in touch with venture capitalists and will convene a conference at which existing Arunachal startups can present their ideas to potential investors.
The Chief Minister directed the Planning and Investment Department and the APEDP cell to consult the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on State incentives, including possible income tax-related support, for graduating startups that move from proprietorships to private limited companies or LLPs. A policy decision is expected in the coming days.
He further asked the Chief Secretary to organize workshops with experts for all APEDP alumni on reaching national and global markets through digital platforms, and directed the APIIP CEO to expedite its conversion into a Section 8 company, a move he approved after announcing it at last year's programme.
Started in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, APEDP has helped launch more than 150 startups, the Chief Minister said. Arunachal Pradesh was among the top three States in the National Startup Ranking Framework on the occasion of 10 years of Startup India, and the only Northeast State to be so recognized, he noted.
Intake under the programme has been doubled from 50 to 100 startups, and seed money has been raised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. The roughly 100 Cohort 5 entrepreneurs will undergo a nine-month incubation at the Arunachal Pradesh Innovation and Investment Park (APIIP), with mentorship from reputed institutions including IIM.
Khandu cited alumni successes like the Arunachal Ivory and Ornaments, whose 3D-printed replicas of traditional animal headgear were featured in the Prime Minister's 113th Mann Ki Baat and earned a Rs 10 lakh grant under the AIC-SMUTBI Digi Sapne Program; KT Marketing of Ziro, winner of the Bharat Entrepreneur Award 2025; Popil Tunes, selected for the STPI Octane Program 2025 under MeitY; House of Macnok of Pasighat, chosen for a Global Entrepreneurship Consulting Project with the University of Oklahoma, USA; Page 2.. 
....CM announces new initiatives
CK Bliss Health & Rhythm, recipient of the Governor's Appreciation Letter; and Mete Foods and Slot Allot, named in the NEC's top 50 incubation list.
Satellite incubation cells were inaugurated virtually at the seven institutions that signed MoUs last year: Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh University (Pasighat), Arunachal University of Studies (Namsai), NIT Jote, NEDIS Nirjuli, Dera Natung Government College (Itanagar) and Dorjee Khandu Government College (Tawang).
New MoUs were signed with five more institutions. These are Donyi Polo Government College, Kamki; Government College, Bomdila; Indira Gandhi Government College, Tezu; Government Model College, Seppa; and St. Claret College, Ziro.
The Chief Minister also launched the YES (Youth Empowerment Sphere) Arunachal portal, a single window on APIIP for Central and State schemes, and urged youth to take part in the National Innovation Challenge under Sewa Sankalp Abhiyan. He thanked NITI Aayog for establishing Atal Tinkering Labs in the State’s schools.
He encouraged entrepreneurs to explore the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, noting that banking networks can help with capital and, where required, land. MSMEs, he said, contribute around 31 per cent of India’s GDP and 45 per cent of its exports. He also highlighted the Central Government’s UNNATI scheme for the Northeast and the State’s Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Swavalamban Yojana, Chief Minister Paryatan Vikas Yojana and Atmanirbhar scheme for agriculture, horticulture and fisheries.
On the State’s economic prospects, the Chief Minister said hydropower projects totalling 19,000 MW are at various stages of work, and that five mineral blocks, including graphite and vanadium, have been auctioned in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Coal and Mines. With more blocks to follow and rare earth deposits to be explored, he said Arunachal could shift from a deficit to a surplus budget, freeing more resources for public welfare. Under the Rising North East Investment Summit, five investments worth Rs 809 crore have been grounded, with promised investments of Rs 7,941 crore under pursuit. He appealed to local communities to support investors and make Arunachal an investor-friendly destination.
He credited women-led development and the self-help group movement, which now involves around 1.5 lakh active women, for the State's progress, and called for a strong rural economy as the basis of a Viksit Arunachal by 2047.
Khandu urged the young entrepreneurs to keep learning about government policy, company law, the Arunachal Pradesh State Industrial and Investment Policy and the new labour laws. Calling bookkeeping a weak area among local entrepreneurs, he advised every business to engage a chartered accountant, maintain annual balance sheets and file income tax returns even where tax liability is nil. He also urged entrepreneurs to build on the State’s 20 Geographical Indication (GI) tags through value addition and digital marketing.
Congratulating Cohort 4 graduates and wishing Cohort 5 well, the Chief Minister assured them that his doors remain open. Acknowledging the work of the Deputy Chief Minister, the Commissioner, CEO Tabe Haider and the APIIP team, he said the State’s efforts are aligned with the vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas towards a Viksit Bharat.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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