Delhi govt launches Startup Yuva Festival, urges students to drive innovation
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi government on Friday launched the Delhi Startup Yuva Festival 2026 at Netaji Subhas University of Technology, with Education Minister Ashish Sood describing students as key drivers of innovation and calling for stronger links between campuses and markets.
Addressing students, mentors and industry representatives, Sood said universities are no longer limited to academic instruction and are increasingly emerging as centres of entrepreneurship and innovation.
He said the festival aims to encourage students to convert ideas developed on campuses into market-ready products.
Referring to India's startup ecosystem, the minister said the country had a limited presence in the sector before 2014, but has since witnessed rapid growth. India now has close to 125 unicorns and over 1.97 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups, making it the world's third-largest startup ecosystem, attributing the expansion to policy-driven reforms.
Sood said that nearly 45 per cent of Indian startups are led by women, calling entrepreneurship an effective tool for social and economic transformation. He said women-led enterprises have contributed to wider community development by generating employment and promoting inclusive growth.
The minister said the Delhi government, under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, is working to position the capital as a hub for student-led innovation.
He added that the Startup Yuva Festival would be developed into an annual platform bringing together educational institutions, mentors, investors and industry stakeholders.
According to the minister, over 75,000 students are currently participating in Delhi government-supported entrepreneurship programmes, with an annual growth rate of around 30 per cent.
More than 470 startups are being incubated across sectors such as healthcare, sustainability and manufacturing, he said, adding that early-stage startups are generating four to five jobs in their first year.
Sood also announced that the government is proposing the Delhi Startup Policy 2025, with a planned outlay of Rs 325 crore over five years. The policy aims to support 5,000 startups by 2035 and includes the creation of a Delhi Student Seed Fund to assist early-stage ventures.
Under the scheme, equity-free seed grants of Rs 10 lakh will be provided to six selected startups, while Rs 1 lakh each will be awarded to 100 student startups, he said.
The minister urged students to focus on meaningful innovation rather than risk avoidance, stating that successful enterprises could emerge from university campuses and hostels.
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Man chased, brutally stabbed inside public toilet in northwest Delhi; one arrested; juvenile held
New Delhi (PTI): An alleged road rage incident took a fatal turn when a 27-year-old factory worker was chased down by assailants and stabbed multiple times inside a public toilet in northwest Delhi's Ashok Vihar area, police said on Thursday.
According to police, the incident took place on Wednesday night, when witnesses saw the victim, Santosh Kumar, running into a public toilet in a desperate bid to save his life, with his attackers hot on his heels.
"A PCR call was received at 6:23 pm on April 8 regarding a man being stabbed inside the compound of a Sulabh Sauchalaya located at the fish market in Wazirpur Industrial Area," a senior police officer said.
A police team rushed to the spot and found the victim lying in a pool of blood inside the toilet premises. The victim, originally from Nepal, was residing in Macchi Market area, the official said.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that the incident stemmed from an altercation between the victim and a motorcycle rider. The verbal spat soon escalated into a physical scuffle, during which the accused, along with an associate, allegedly attacked Santosh with a knife.
Police sources said in a desperate attempt to save himself, the injured victim ran towards the nearby public toilet and tried to latch the door from inside. Eyewitness accounts suggest he tried to take refuge inside the public toilet and shut the door to prevent his attackers from entering. However, he was chased down, overpowered, and stabbed multiple times.
Santosh collapsed on the spot, where he later succumbed to his injuries, police said.
A case under sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intentions) was registered at Ashok Vihar police station and an investigation was taken up.
During the probe, police arrested one accused identified as Tanish (19), a resident of CSA Colony in Macchi Market area, and apprehended a juvenile allegedly involved in the incident.
Police said the motorcycle used by the accused, which they had abandoned while fleeing after the attack, was recovered near the crime scene.
Family members and acquaintances of the deceased expressed shock over the killing. Santosh's uncle, who reached the spot after being informed, recounted the scene.
"When I came here, I saw him lying on the floor, dead. I noticed that he had been stabbed twice. I am not aware of what exactly happened. He was just 27 years old and used to work in a steel company with me. I don't know how many people were involved in the attack. We are from Nepal, and I have been working here for 15 years. I think he was stabbed outside and later came inside the toilet to save himself. There was a bike outside which I think belonged to the attackers," he said.
Police said the motive behind the crime appears to be road rage -- a sudden and heated altercation on the road that spiralled into a violent assault resulting in the victim's death.
Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend any other persons involved in the attack. Police teams are analysing CCTV footage from the surrounding area and examining local witnesses to piece together the sequence of events.
