Startup tableau to showcase tech innovations at Republic Day parade

India is on its way to becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2025 and startups are expected to lead the pack. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the convocation of IIT-Madras, announced that India is at the third spot in the top startup nations of the world, with more than 7,000 startups in the ecosystem.

The Indian startup ecosystem is going to find a special spot in the 71st Republic Day parade at the Rajpath in New Delhi on January 26, according to a statement by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 

The momentous occasion will see a special tableau of Startup India, built on the theme, ‘Startups: Reach for the Sky’. The tableau will showcase various stages of the lifestyle of a startup and the all-round support provided by the government, the statement read. 

A group of 24 artists will be performing in front of the tableau. Leading the bunch will be two Yulu bike leaders, signifying how electric vehicles have become an important part of the Indian startup ecosystem. Some performers will also be seen wearing augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) glasses by Innovision, highlighting how technology is the backbone of the Indian startup ecosystem.

The front portion of the tableau will depict a mind full of ideas waiting to solve the core problems of the world. The staircases leading up to the main part of tableau will symbolise the various stages of growth – proving a concept, creating a prototype, preparing a business plan, building a team, launching into various markets, and eventually, scaling up. 

A ‘Startup India Tree’ in the middle, will depict how the initiative has empowered startups, and the leaves of the tree will contain the benefits startups have received.

The wheel at the rear will depict varied sectors of the economy, where Indian entities have driven economic growth and created employment opportunities at large scale. The map of India will represent the spread of the startup movement, steadily reaching Tier II and III cities. The wheel and map put together will depict the width and the depth of the Startup India movement in the country. 

The tableau will also showcase robots. The preparations for preparing the tableau have been in process since August 2019. Apart from the group of artists hired for performing alongside the tableau, 25 vendors, five members of the Startup India team have worked on the model.

The biggest reason why a tableau of the campaign has been introduced in this year’s Republic Day parade is to create awareness around Startup India, which is playing a significant role in bolstering the startup ecosystem of India and empowering startups from all across the country.

The Startup India movement was launched by the government on January 16, 2016. The initiative aims to nurture innovation, drive sustainable economic growth, and generate large-scale employment opportunities. More than 26,000 startups from 551 districts of 28 States and seven Union Territories have been recognised in this period.

(Edited by Suman Singh)

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