Telangana – Dutch Uncles

Telangana, A Favoured Destination For Start-ups

Aakash Sharma — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 05:35:09 +0000

Telangana, India’s youngest state, is becoming a major investment destination for large companies and a hotbed for start-ups. The state has created several promoters for aiding and promoting start-ups, including the creation of business incubators such as T-WORKS, T-HUB, RICH, T-Fibre and TASK.

Telangana has emerged as a preferred destination for large corporations also as the state aims to provide transparent tax policies and approve projects quickly. Major players in the e-commerce, retail and aviation industries have set up facilities or announced plans to expand their operations in the state.

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The government strongly stimulates production, facilitates project approval and promotes a culture of entrepreneurship. The Telangana State government acts as a catalyst in creating a stimulating environment for innovators and start-ups.

According to the E&Y white paper on “Hyderabad-The emerging Startup Hub in India”, the state has a unique business model that can develop a robust business environment and foster an innovation-driven economy. It also highlighted that Telangana is working hard to maintain a solid entrepreneurial ecosystem built over the years and looks forward to consolidating its current position as the country’s preferred destination for start-ups.

Telangana’s state-of-the-art resources for budding entrepreneurs

Hyderabad has a first-rate infrastructure for incubation and co-working spaces. The second phase of the famed T-Hub will cover 3,000,000 square meters, with two levels dedicated to supporting a socially innovative ecosystem for more than 200 start-ups. The state government plans to set up separate social innovation outposts in Nizamabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, and Khammam. The outreach to these tier-II cities will ensure that urban and rural institutions can jointly benefit from the network of Telangana’s service ecosystem.

Multi-channel and wide-ranging scope for all entrepreneurs

Telangana has conceptualised InnoLabs as a place where individuals and organisations can work together to overcome the social challenges of entrepreneurship. InnoLabs will provide the infrastructure for meetings and collaborations of different outlooks from the industry. The state government is also planning to create a Telangana Social Startups Network to encourage all key stakeholders such as start-ups, incubators and accelerators to share information and jointly develop innovative solutions.

The state has set up incubators WEHub and T-Hub, and has a robust intellectual property (IP) support system to help start-ups. Its blockchain policy has made Hyderabad one of the top ten blockchain cities in the world. The state has also launched a leading investment fund called the Telangana Innovation Fund (T-Fund). In addition, it has created a T-SEED Fund worth Rs. 250 crores to finance start-ups and unique private sector initiatives.

Small businesses and entrepreneurs can take benefit of this rising business ecosystem

Hyderabad has about 183 fintech companies, making it the fourth-largest fintech ecosystem in India after Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi. The city accounts for 42% of the total fintech in India and is mainly engaged in financing solutions, P2P lending, financial planning, credit scoring systems and billing solutions.

Tech entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts from all walks of life should take advantage of these state benefits to operate their company vehicles. Potential entrepreneurs, especially those in the fintech sector, can take advantage of fledgling support systems such as the Hyderabad FinTech Forum (HFF), including start-ups, incubators, corporations, regulators and investors. All start-ups and small businesses in Hyderabad enjoy government support alongside the presence of the best IT talents. This certainly bridges the financing gap conceivable in India’s current economy and gives companies a platform to succeed.

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Here’s What You Need To Know About the Business Mentoring Programme MSME Prerna

DU Desk — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 08:35:08 +0000

The MSME sector is now reliant and expectant of government initiatives that will rescue them from the throes of despair. Help from the government is the only way the sector can revive. The state of Telangana has been proactive in launching several initiatives for start-ups and MSMEs. MSME Prerna is one such newly launched event that will empower entrepreneurs in the MSME sector.

What is MSME Prerna?

MSME Prerna is a Business Mentoring Program recently launched by Indian Bank which is the first of its kind by the banking company. It’s an initiative aimed at empowering MSMEs (micro, small and medium sized enterprises ) by enabling them to drive greater business efficiency, optimise value and capacity. It offers training through a series of virtual programs to imbue a sense of confidence into budding or aspiring entrepreneurs.

Everything you need to know about MSME Prerna

The programme was launched in the State of Telangana in the Telugu language but caters to entrepreneurs across different Indian states. Launched in partnership with Poornatha & Co., a Business Management Consultant from Tamil Nadu, MSME Prerna is a web-based training programme that will communicate with users in simple, jargon-free terminologies. 10 virtual programmes have already concluded in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Uttarakhand. There are plans for phased, pan India programmes to reach maximum entrepreneurs who can benefit from the sessions.

Beneficiaries of the programme

The main beneficiaries of the MSME Prerna programme are budding entrepreneurs in the state of Telangana but will eventually cater to entrepreneurs across various states. The programme is specially interested in aiding women entrepreneurs in the country as well as entrepreneurs who are well versed in their local languages and dialects.

Benefits for MSMEs

MSMEs will develop managerial and financial capabilities through the programme. MSME Prerna will also generate awareness regarding initiatives by national and state governments and agencies for MSMEs. The parent organisation of the programme Indian Bank, is an MSME friendly institution that has provided financial support to 20 lakh MSMEs and provided credit exposure worth more than INR 70180 Cr. The Telangana State Finance Corporation (TSFC) will collaborate with Indian Bank to develop innovative mechanisms that will help MSMEs.

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Launched in partnership with Poornatha & Co., a Business Management Consultant from Tamil Nadu, MSME Prerna is a web-based training programme that will communicate with users in simple, jargon-free terminologies.

What’s in it for me?

MSMEs in Telangana and across the country have many avenues to participate in and avail benefits. Commercial banks like Indian Bank may collaborate with SME and start-up initiatives in the state like WE-Hub (Women Entrepreneurs Hub) and T-Hub (Technology hub) government initiatives. Indian Bank has already extended financial support to about 8.25 lakh MSME units amounting to INR 63,251 Cr in the state of Telangana. Their participation in other initiatives only spells good news for MSMEs and start-ups.

By participating in the programme, you will gain relevant knowledge, develop the confidence required to move forward as entrepreneurs, and gain better decision making abilities. There are skill development exercises and capacity building workshops to participate in. The entire programme is a hand holding exercise for entrepreneurs and a unique one as well. Indian Bank’s efforts will inspire more commercial banks to extend support to Indian MSMEs which are currently in dire need of all the help it can get.

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These are the Latest Infrastructure Facilities Provided by the Government of Telangana

Aakash Sharma — Sat, 22 May 2021 03:35:04 +0000

Since its inception in 2014, Telangana has been at the forefront of changing corporate policies and has carried out numerous development projects. One of the several essential undertakings by the state authorities has been the infrastructure development in the newly formed state.

The economy of Telangana is the eighth largest of all Indian states with a GDP of $140 billion and a GDP per capita of Rs. 228,000 ($3,200). Telangana ranks 22nd among Indian states on the Human Development Index. The state infrastructure development is being prioritised to ensure the state’s high quality of business and life.

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Telangana's official development vision is "Research to Innovation; Innovation to Industry; Industry to Prosperity".

Growing Medical Infrastructure in Telangana

Since its inception, the Telangana State government has invested approximately Rs 155 crore in establishing a systematic maternal and child health structure. As part of this project, the government infused Rs. 121.3 crore in the development of nine maternal and child health centres with a capacity of 150 beds in the state. Close to four new MCH facilities of 50 beds ability are under development at a cost of Rs 2.36 crore.

Adding ICU facilities

Numerous trauma centres in the Telangana region have been established since 2015. So far, authorities have developed 20 intensive care units to fill the large gap in series due to the rising caseload of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has set up specialised post-operative intensive care units at hospitals across the state dedicated to providing care to patients undergoing complex surgeries.

Dharani – Integrated Land Records Management System

The government of Telangana has built and operates a new integrated land registration system called Dharani. It was launched in October 2020. This registration portal combines land management and registration services in the state. It serves as a reliable source for all assets and is closely coordinated in real-time to perform all ground-related tasks efficiently. Dharani also offers a GIS system that provides a visual representation of cadastral data.

Extensive Network Infrastructure

The state strives to provide high-speed Internet service in data centres nationwide to ensure that application hosting offers minimal latency to users. This feature has been enhanced by updating the Internet Gateway to make it easier for NICNET users nationwide to access the Internet. NICNET is a satellite-based nationwide computer-communication network made by the National Informatics Centre which runs as a Wide Area Network (WAN). To maintain accurate timing and synchronisation of all network elements and servers on the network, Stratum-1 clocks are installed at Delhi and Hyderabad.

Strengthening Education Infrastructure

With the 2021 budget, the Telangana state government has upgraded the education sector’s allotment to Rs 4,000 crore for school and university infrastructure. The quality of infrastructure in many public schools, universities, and hyperlocal education centres like Anganwadis will change in the following academic year. The government has increased its budget for 2021-2022 to build public schools as part of the Samagra Shiksha and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan.

How can Businesses Benefit from Government Infrastructure Investment?

Infrastructure investment by the Telangana Government is a handy tool for the macroeconomic stabilisation of small businesses and general people in the state. Most figures of the output “multiplier” for infrastructure investment are substantially higher than other fiscal interventions. If monetary policymakers support the budgetary boost of infrastructure investment, each Rs. 100 crore infusion in infrastructure spending could augment job increase by roughly ~5 lakhs.

More significant public investment by the government effort can also boost productivity in the long run by increasing the public capital stock. The rate of return on infrastructure financing is enormous, and infrastructure development in all sectors, be it health, education, digital or physical, is a good sign of growth, especially for new businesses.

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Can Telangana’s Agtech Start-ups Move The Farming Cart Forward?

Naina Sood — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:35:04 +0000

Telangana is home to a plethora of agritech start-ups which are working to empower farmers through the use of technology. As many as 57 such start-ups are based out in Hyderabad alone. Can these start-ups move the farming cart forward? To evaluate this, we need to understand what are the main issues, what kind of solutions the start-ups are offering and the impact generated.

Reaching the Grassroots

Every year, delayed or erratic monsoon keeps farmers on the edge. How much to grow, how to grow, when to grow; all these issues are being tackled through the power of data by start-ups in the way of predictive analytics and precise farming.

For instance, Hyderabad-based Niruthi Climate and Ecosystem Services uses data analytics to provide weather information and predict crop yields, hence reducing environment-related risks to marginal farmers. The start-up, backed by former NASA scientists, is serving over one million farmers and over 20 million hectares of cropland. Another start-up, Aapah Innovations, also provides similar GIS-based remote sensing and earth observation services and agricultural crop monitoring products.

Start-ups are fixing the problem of labour shortage or machine sourcing by providing farming-as-a-service. Hyderabad-based Ujjay and KhethiNext are providing farm inputs on subscription basis besides crop advisory. Farmers can use the same platform for selling produce, seeking farm advice, training, insurance and other services. Currently around 65,000 farmers are deriving benefits from the services of KhethiNext platform while 4.72 lakhs farmers are registered on its app.

As many as 500 farmers in Telangana are the early adopters of the ‘greenhouse in a box’ concept by start-up Kheyti. It provides an affordable, modular greenhouse bundled with full stack services that, as per claims, uses 90% less water, grows seven times more food and gives farmers a steady dependable income.

On similar lines, Cheruvu is providing precision agriculture solutions for each farmer by combining soil, weather, satellite imagery, and farming practices data. Around 3,600 farmers are associated with the start-up. There are also start-ups like Thanos and Marut Drones which are helping farmers by using drones to aerial spray the fields. This helps reduce input costs for the farmers, and also possibly improves the yield and soil health.

Telangana-based start-ups VillageAgro and Urbankisan are pushing ‘farm-fresh’ and ‘organic’ to cater this shifting demand. The result has been a big boost in rural farming.

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A lot of start-ups are coming up in ancillary services which are seeing an uptick in the state as an alternate source of income for the farmers.

A Combined Effort

The state has identified agriculture as a priority sector and is focusing on developing AI-based solutions to benefit farmers and policymakers. While the government is supporting start-ups through incubation hubs and incentives, business models of start-ups are addressing the shortcomings of the government program by developing farmer-friendly communication methods through co-creation and continuous feedback.

What is in it for me?

Digital farming, micro irrigation solutions, distributed solar cloud storage, financial services are some of the areas of opportunity for start-ups to build on in the state. There is also a growing need for more technological tools to assist organic farmers and ancillary activities such as poultry, dairy, horticulture and aquaculture which is seeing an uptick in the state.

If you are a Telangana-based start-up, here is the list of incubators with details, to help you take the next leap.

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What is Telangana Innovation Policy 2017-2022 ?

Naina Sood — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 06:35:03 +0000

Telangana, one of the youngest states in India, has been the first state to roll out an Innovation Policy to encourage entrepreneurs and start-ups. The key focus areas of the policy include IoT, healthtech, sustainability, fintech and is based around 5 broad pillars:

Developing physical infrastructure & program management capabilities

The state government shall anchor all its entrepreneurship related efforts to T-Hub, which is a private partnership between the Telangana government, 3 institutes (IIIT-H, ISB & NALSAR) and key private sector leaders.

The aim is to develop 1 million sq ft of work space dedicated to start-ups by 2022. The state government will partner with 20 global accelerators/incubators to build facilities in PPP mode.

Build plug-and-play work spaces across different sectors and locations of the state. A 3,00,000 sq ft facility that will house 900 start-ups shall be completed by 2022 in the capital.

The government will work with private real estate companies to build affordable housing/dorms for entrepreneurs. A separate fund for infrastructure for incubation facilities will be built under the PPP mode.

A start-up council with CIO and relevant ministers and government officers will be created to review the progress and make modifications on an annual basis.

Focus on creating sustainable funding models

Early-stage investing vehicle T-Fund (Telangana Innovation Fund) will be launched in concert with leading global investors with an initial target of Rs 2,000 crore.

In addition, there will be a T-SEED fund (initial size of Rs 250 crore) to fund start-ups in the seed stage and a ‘Phoenix fund’ to identify and attract entrepreneurs who have attempted at least one venture previously.

Develop human capital for learning, experimentation, innovation

The policy aims at encouraging universities to introduce the concept of ‘Student Entrepreneur’ in residence. Outstanding students who wish to pursue entrepreneurship can take a break of 1-3 years, after the first year, to pursue entrepreneurship full time.

Start-ups in the e-governance space shall be provided access to government data to roll out pilots.

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The government shall anchor all its entrepreneurship related efforts to T-Hub, which is a private partnership between state government, 3 institutes (IIIT-H, ISB & NALSAR) and key leaders.

Proactive engagement with industry to promote and identify innovation

The policy will facilitate interactions and engagement with technology leaders and high impact companies. A Chief Innovation Officer, reporting into an Advisory council, shall be appointed for the same. An Innovation cell within the IT ministry will also be constituted which shall have 2 Innovation Officers for large corporates and start-ups and SMEs.

Encourage start-ups in rural and social enterprise space

The government shall set up (either on its own or in partnership with a private enterprise) a ‘Rural and Social Enterprise’ incubator/accelerator for the growth of start-ups in this sector. There will be outposts of T-Hub built in Tier II cities of Telangana that will act as focal points for enterprises focusing on these regions. A specific ‘Impact Fund’ that will focus on rural and social enterprises will also be created. The list of incentives have been detailed here.

What’s in it for me?

The state government keeps inviting applications to apply for batches under the policy. After selection, the start-ups are provided a slew of incentives, performance grant, patent expenditure reimbursement, SGST (state goods and services tax) reimbursement among others.

Eligible startups can apply for the second batch of incentives here.

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