Agartala | October 2, 2026 | Sky Link Times
Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha on Thursday Oct 1, formally launched the Digital Startup Acceleration Program for North East (Digi SAPNE) 3.0 at the Agartala Women’s College Auditorium, reaffirming the state’s commitment to promoting innovation, technology and entrepreneurship across the Northeastern region.
The launch programme was attended by Finance, Planning and Coordination and IT Minister Pranajit Singha Roy; Higher Education Minister Kishor Barman; Secretary to the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Gitte; IT and Finance Secretary Dr. Prashant Kumar Goyal, IAS; MeitY Director Rajeshwar Singh Jenwar; Sikkim Manipal University Vice Chancellor and AIC-SMUTBI Chairman Dr. Gopalakrishna Prabhu; and IFS officer Jeya Ragul Geshan B., among other dignitaries, entrepreneurs, students and innovators.
CM Calls Upon Youth to Become Job Creators
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Manik Saha urged young innovators to transform their ideas into practical products, services and sustainable businesses, highlighting the role of technology-driven entrepreneurship in generating employment and expanding economic opportunities.
The Chief Minister acknowledged the contribution of MeitY and AIC-SMUTBI in strengthening the startup ecosystem in the Northeast through initiatives such as Digi SAPNE.
He noted that startups from Tripura had received financial assistance of ₹10 lakh each under Digi SAPNE 2.0. The third edition is expected to provide aggregate grant support of up to ₹80 lakh to high-potential startups, helping promising entrepreneurs develop and scale their businesses.
ALSO READ: Google AI Plus Free for Indian Students for 1 Year
Emphasising the importance of entrepreneurship, Saha encouraged young people to move from being job seekers to job creators and build enterprises around local opportunities and the region’s economic strengths.
Digi SAPNE 3.0 to Focus on Tourism, Agri-Tech and Artificial Intelligence
Digi SAPNE 3.0 will focus particularly on emerging sectors such as tourism, agricultural technology (agri-tech) and artificial intelligence (AI), which offer opportunities for innovation and business development in Tripura and the wider Northeast.
Through structured acceleration, mentorship, market access, investor engagement and financial assistance, the programme seeks to help early-stage startups strengthen their technology, improve business operations and prepare for sustainable growth.
The initiative is designed to connect entrepreneurs from the region with wider institutional, commercial and investment networks, enabling locally developed solutions to reach national and potentially international markets.
MeitY Official Emphasises Problem-Led Innovation
Speaking at the programme, MeitY Director and Head of the Software Industry Promotion Division Rajeshwar Singh Jenwar stressed that innovation should begin with identifying real-world problems rather than developing technology without a clear purpose.
He highlighted challenges in agriculture, healthcare, disaster management and drinking water as areas where young entrepreneurs could develop practical and locally relevant solutions.
Referring to Tripura’s flood-related challenges, its GI-tagged Queen Pineapple and extensive bamboo resources, Jenwar encouraged students to recognise the entrepreneurial opportunities available within their own communities.
He also cited HN Technovations Pvt. Ltd., founded at Tripura University under the leadership of Prof. Harjeet Nath, as an example of locally driven innovation. The startup developed a portable solar and electric water purification system for disaster-relief situations.
According to the programme information, the technology was used during the Silchar floods and subsequently supplied approximately 5,000 litres of safe drinking water over two days at a relief camp in Gomati district during the August 2024 floods.
Calling upon students to participate in the Seva First Innovation Challenge, Jenwar encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to identify a problem they could solve, use available college laboratories and incubation facilities, form multidisciplinary teams and collaborate with people familiar with the challenges they aim to address.
Eight Startups Receive ₹80 Lakh in Financial Support
A major highlight of the event was the distribution of ₹80 lakh to eight startups, with each selected enterprise receiving ₹10 lakh under Digi SAPNE Cohort 2.0.
The startups were selected during the recently concluded Himalayan Investors Meet (HIM ’26) in Gangtok and represent seven Northeastern states.
| No. | Founder | Startup | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Chayanika D. Nath | Labdig Innovations and System Pvt. Ltd. | Assam |
| 2 | Harjeet Nath | HN Technovations Pvt. Ltd. | Tripura |
| 3 | Yaikhomba Rajkumar | Addble Solution Pvt. Ltd. | Manipur |
| 4 | Lakhyajit Hazarika | Stemcorp Dynamics Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Assam |
| 5 | Badal Nyalang | Mwire Labs Pvt. Ltd. | Meghalaya |
| 6 | Keduolie Mere & Kaushal Bey | Uracab Pvt. Ltd. | Nagaland |
| 7 | Devesh Sharma | Sajilo Services Pvt. Ltd. | Sikkim |
| 8 | Jeremia Remruatpuia | Peipung Pvt. Ltd. | Mizoram |
The financial assistance is intended to support product development, technology enhancement, operational strengthening and market expansion, while helping the startups prepare for further investment and commercial growth.
Tripura Launch Strengthens Pan-Northeast Startup Collaboration
The launch of Digi SAPNE 3.0 in Agartala highlights the collaboration between MeitY, the Government of Tripura and AIC-SMUTBI to expand opportunities for technology-driven entrepreneurship across the Northeast.
With participating startups representing multiple Northeastern states, the programme seeks to build a connected regional ecosystem in which entrepreneurs can access mentors, investors, institutional support, technology infrastructure and wider markets.
The initiative also aims to encourage students and young innovators to turn locally relevant ideas into viable enterprises, contributing to employment generation, economic development and innovation across the region.
About AIC-SMUTBI
AIC-SMU Technology Business Incubation Foundation (AIC-SMUTBI) is an Atal Incubation Centre supported by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, and established in partnership with Sikkim Manipal University.
The foundation works to strengthen entrepreneurship across the Northeast through incubation, acceleration, mentorship, funding facilitation, market access and investor engagement.
Digi SAPNE, or the Digital Startup Acceleration Program for North East, is one of its flagship initiatives, supported by MeitY, to accelerate technology and digital startups from the eight Northeastern states and connect them with national and global opportunities.
For More info please stay tuned to : Sky Link Times – Latest News from Tripura & Northeast India
