New Delhi, Jan 14 (UNI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday said that India’s youth is no longer limited to seeking jobs, but is increasingly emerging as a generation of job creators, driven by innovation, skills and entrepreneurship.
She was speaking at the inauguration of the ”Campus to Market – Delhi Startup Yuva Festival 2026’ at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre. The festival was inaugurated jointly by union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary and the Delhi Chief Minister. The programme is being organised by the Directorate of Training and Technical Education (DTTE), Government of Delhi.
On the occasion, Rekha Gupta and the union Minister interacted with young innovators, teachers, investors and startup founders from universities, colleges and technical institutions. They also visited the startup exhibition, where student-led innovations, prototypes and business models were showcased.
Jayant Chaudhary said that India is a young nation with enormous youth power, which gives the country strong working capacity. However, he said the demographic advantage can deliver results only when young people are given opportunities, their talent is recognised and their skills are strengthened. He noted that earlier, the education system focused mainly on textbook-based learning, often leaving little room for students who did not fit into traditional academic models.
Rekha Gupta said that student startups in Delhi are demonstrating remarkable creativity and innovation, offering practical solutions to social, environmental and technological challenges. She said that a strong startup and innovation ecosystem has been developed across the country, enabling young people to move from ideas to enterprises.
”Delhi Government is working to integrate education, skills and entrepreneurship to position the capital as the Startup Capital of India. She urged the youth to adopt a solutions-oriented approach so that Delhi and India can lead global innovation.” She added
Education Minister Ashish Sood said that earlier, startups in Delhi were scattered and lacked a structured ecosystem connecting students with industry, mentors and investors.
He said that the Startup Yuva Festival bringing together 11 universities, 12 colleges and 19 ITIs on a single platform for the first time. Under the structured ‘Campus to Market’ approach, students are being connected to mentorship, funding and market access. Currently, over 75,000 students and young people are associated with entrepreneurship programmes, and more than 470 startups are operating under incubation. These startups have generated revenues of Rs. 500 to 600 crore and created an average of four to five jobs per startup.
”Under the NEEEV curriculum at the school level, 5,000 student teams have been supported with Rs. 20,000 each. At the Startup Yuva Festival, the top six startups are being awarded equity-free grants of Rs. 10 lakh each, while the top 100 startups are receiving Rs. 1 lakh each.” He added
He also announced that the Delhi Startup Policy will be implemented soon, with an outlay of Rs. 325 crore over the next five years and a target of developing 5,000 startups by 2035.
Startup Yuva Festival 2026 is organised to take student-led startups from campus to market, the festival aims to convert innovations developed within educational institutions into commercially viable and sustainable enterprises.
Under the ‘Campus to Market’ initiative, students presented their ideas to investors, mentors and industry experts. The programme also featured knowledge sessions, policy discussions and an award ceremony. Out of more than 700 applications, over 60 startups participated in the Startup Expo, with the top 20 selected for live pitching. The top six startups received grants of Rs. 10 lakh each, while the top 100 startups were awarded grants of Rs.1 lakh each.
