Not cancelling Goa StartUp 20 event despite Odisha tragedy out of respect for delegates' time, says Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal said he had thought of cancelling the third meeting of the Startup20 Engagement Group, part of India's G20 presidency, scheduled to begin in Goa on Saturday in view of the horrific train accident in Odisha but refrained from doing so out of respect for the delegates' time.

More than 280 persons died and nearly 1,000 passengers were injured after a three-train derailment-collision tragedy in Balasore in Odisha on Friday evening. Speaking at the inaugural function of the StartUp 20 event, which will take place over two days and culminate on Sunday, Goyal, a former railway minister, offered condolence to those killed and injured in the Odisha accident.

Also Read: Odisha train derailment one of deadliest in Indian Railways' history

"I had thought of cancelling today's engagement but I thought since we have 200 delegates from more than 15 countries it would be respectful to your time, your efforts to continue with the engagements," Goyal said. Startup20 serves as a prime opportunity to foster collaboration, exchange ideas, and shape the future of start ups and entrepreneurship on a global scale, with the main aim of the meeting being to form consensus on the start up Draft Policy Communique.

The Goa Sankalpana event will look at how the start up eco systems from different countries can be integrated, Goyal said, adding the engagement group, comprising G20 nations, should work towards promoting a vibrant start up ecosystem across the world. "It is important that the G20 member countries focus their energies on seeing how they can make India and the rest of the world work together as partners, and collaborate and cooperate," he said.

Goyal said efforts should be made to find ways to bring about inclusive growth between the less developed countries and developing nations. "For those countries which are yet not able to develop their own policy framework and their own systems for start ups, India is ready to offer support in finding a better way and sustainable solution for the world,” the Union minister added.

The engagement group will come up with a policy document or official communiqué at the end of the fourth meeting that would be held in Gurugram in the first week of July.

"We hope to come up with the document, a framework expressing the shared interest of all the G20 countries in promoting a vibrant start up eco system across the world," the minister said.