The Odisha Seva First Innovation Challenge (OSFIC), a statewide program, was started by the Odisha government with the goal of promoting innovation and creating workable answers to pressing problems. In front of ministers, legislators, business representatives, and stakeholders from the startup ecosystem, Startup Odisha inaugurated the challenge under the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department at O-Hub here. The top 20 winners’ ideas would be collected into a compendium, according to MSME and Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik, in order to highlight the innovations and maybe draw investment.
He encouraged youth to follow their passions and reassured them that the government will assist them in coming up with creative solutions. In order to assist young people in creating jobs, he further emphasized the necessity of bolstering incubation centers and encouraging entrepreneurship. Sampad Chandra Swain, Minister of Industries, Skill Development, and Technical Education, emphasized the need for development to enhance the lives of common people and stated that innovation might arise from villages, farms, artisan groups, educational institutions, and women’s efforts.
Krushna Chandra Patra, Minister of Science & Technology and Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare, urged focusing innovation on nation-building and public service. According to him, a plan has been created under the proposed Odisha Innovation Mission to advance fields like artificial intelligence and biotechnology. In three categories—Students, Youth, and Grassroots Innovation Talents—the project aims to unite over one lakh individuals.
Participants may include students from technical schools, universities, startups, MSMEs, craftsmen, farmers, women’s self-help organizations, older people, NCC and NSS units, and other qualified groups. The OSFIC website was also unveiled during the launch, and Startup Odisha and AIIMS Bhubaneswar, World Skill Center, and ASSOCHAM signed strategic Memorandums of Understanding. Additionally, incubators like ACURATE, NIST, CIPET, and SOA received one-time capital contributions.
