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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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
