India in safe hands, people's mandate is with govt: MoS IT Jitin Prasada

New Delhi: Union Minister Jitin Prasada on Thursday affirmed India's readiness to "reform, perform, and transform" via its startup ecosystem and said that the country is in the safe hands of a strong and stable government.

Prasada, Minister of State for the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, during the inauguration of the second edition of Startup Mahakumbh, said the people's mandate is with the government.

"I'm very hopeful that you, the startup community of innovators, and the new ideas that you bring to the table will fulfil the prime minister's ambition of making India reform, perform, and transform.

"You have to tell the world that India is ready for the challenge. We have the talent, we have the skills. We have the agile government...India is in safe hands. The people's mandate is with the government. Policies are strong, stable..." he said, adding that startups are great value creators.

It is not only the stakeholders and the government but also the common man who will play a crucial role in ensuring India achieves its dream of becoming a developed nation, or Viksit Bharat, by 2047, the minister said.

Discourses should now be taken from AC room conventions to on-ground use cases which really impact people's lives, Prasada said and assured that the "agile" government listens.

"I can tell you from the part of the government, it's an agile government. It listens, it registers, and it takes and changes policies according to the needs of the situations. The geopolitical scenes are evolving and every day new issues, new challenges arise and it is you--the startups with the creative minds-- you will align yourself to the changing world and changing India to contribute, and to ensure that we do create that economy & investment, the job creation the talent pool, that changes lives for the people," he noted.

The change, he further said, should be bottom-up because India resides in villages, and only by transforming their lives, increasing their income levels, and enhancing their standard of living would a real achievement be realised.

There's no room for trial and error anymore. The tech experts, the innovators, and their expertise must all come together to drill and hit the jackpot, Prasada asserted.

"We're going to showcase to the world what India is about. Together with the government, the stakeholders, and you above all in front of me, together we will collaborate, work for a better, stronger, creative, and a more vibrant India, so that we could fulfill our commitment to the people of India by making their lives better and changing it for the good," he said.

Scheduled from April 3–5, Startup Mahakumbh will see a multitude of startups, investors, and industry leaders from over 50 countries.