Deepak Bagla, Mission Director of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) at NITI Aayog, declared on 7 May that incubators are among the most critical pillars of a thriving startup ecosystem, as the initiative unveiled a landmark regional collaboration — the Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir Incubation Consortium, PI-RAHI — at a multi-stakeholder summit in Mohali. The event brought together representatives from seven regions and marked a significant step in deepening state-centre cooperation on innovation-led growth.

What AIM Said at Mohali

Speaking at the summit, Bagla emphasised that AIM is actively working to strengthen incubators by equipping them with better infrastructure, mentorship networks, funding access, and market linkages. "We are focused on strengthening this pillar by enabling incubators with better infrastructure, mentorship, funding access, and market linkages," he said. The gathering, branded 'Sumvaad', featured high-level deliberations on scaling state-led innovation initiatives and enhancing collaboration between governments, academia, incubators, and industry.

Launch of PI-RAHI Consortium

The headline development of the event was the formal launch of PI-RAHI, a collaborative incubation consortium covering Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. The initiative is designed to strengthen regional innovation partnerships and create new opportunities for startups, youth, and industry across both states. Notably, this is one of the first cross-region incubation frameworks to formally link a state with a Union Territory under the AIM umbrella.

Who Participated

The Mohali summit drew participation from representatives of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi, alongside startup councils, incubators, industry leaders, CSR partners, and ecosystem enablers. The broad geographic representation underscored AIM's intent to build a robust incubator network across northern and north-western India.

Political and Academic Backing

S Satnam Singh Sandhu, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Chairman of CGC Landran, praised AIM's efforts in building collaborative innovation platforms that leverage regional strengths. He underlined that entrepreneurship and innovation are central to realising the Prime Minister's vision of Viksit Bharat. Sandhu also noted that Punjab and J&K share entrepreneurial energy and academic depth, arguing that the PI-RAHI consortium would unlock fresh opportunities for startups and youth across both regions.

What This Means for the Startup Ecosystem

The sessions at Sumvaad focused on enabling innovation-driven economic growth and unlocking opportunities for startups across emerging sectors. The initiative also stressed inclusive entrepreneurship — ensuring that innovation infrastructure reaches beyond metro centres into states and Union Territories that have historically been underserved by venture capital and incubation support. This comes amid a broader national push to diversify India's startup geography beyond Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR. With PI-RAHI now formally constituted, the next phase will likely focus on operationalising funding pipelines and mentorship networks across the consortium's member institutions.