The agreement was signed at Mantralaya in Mumbai on Wednesday and aims to expand participation in the Seva First Innovation Challenge, an initiative that encourages technology-based solutions to social problems.
The programme will focus on students, aspiring entrepreneurs and startups, particularly those from rural and semi-urban areas. It seeks to connect young innovators with industry representatives and provide selected participants with expert guidance and technical assistance to develop their ideas.
Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Maharashtra's Minister for Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, said the collaboration would help young people transform their innovative ideas into business ventures.
“Through this agreement, we will work towards providing the right direction to innovative ideas and startups emerging among the youth of the state. Our policy is to bring together talented young people from rural and semi-urban areas, connect them with the industrial sector, and help transform their creativity into viable business ventures. This collaboration will further strengthen Maharashtra’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Lodha stated.
The Maharashtra government said outreach efforts would target students from colleges, universities, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics to encourage wider participation in the Seva First Innovation Challenge. Selected innovators and startups are expected to receive expert guidance, technical support and a platform to develop their ideas.
“The objective is to develop young people into capable entrepreneurs rather than limiting their opportunities to employment alone,” Lodha said.
Rural entrepreneurship in focus
आज मंत्रालय येथे ‘गाव तेथे उद्योजक’ या संकल्पनेअंतर्गत ‘सेवा फर्स्ट इनोव्हेशन चॅलेंज’मध्ये ग्रामीण भागातील सहभाग वाढवा यासाठी महाराष्ट्र चेंबर ऑफ कॉमर्स, इंडस्ट्री अँड ॲग्रिकल्चर (MACCIA) यांच्या प्रतिनिधींसोबत सामंजस्य करार करण्यात आला. उद्योजक घडविण्यासाठी MACCIA करत असलेल्या कार्याच्या माध्यमातून हा उपक्रम गावागावांत पोहोचण्यास मदत होईल. स्थानिक समस्यांवर नव्या दृष्टिकोनातून विचार करून उपाय शोधण्याचे सामर्थ्य ग्रामीण महाराष्ट्रातील युवकांमध्ये आणि नवउद्योजकांमध्ये आहे. त्यांच्या या सामर्थ्याला ‘सेवा फर्स्ट इनोव्हेशन चॅलेंज’च्या माध्यमातून वाव मिळावा, तसेच त्यांच्या कल्पना प्रत्यक्षात आणण्यासाठी आवश्यक मार्गदर्शन व पाठबळ मिळावे, यासाठी हा सामंजस्य करार महत्त्वपूर्ण ठरेल. #SevaFirstInnovationChallenge #सेवाFirst #MACCIA #InnovationChallenge #MPLodha
— Mangal Prabhat Lodha (@MPLodha) October 21, 2026
Ravindra Mangave, chairman of GTUIC, said young people, women and local artisans in rural areas often have business ideas but face difficulties accessing capital, technology, markets, professional guidance and information about government schemes.
GTUIC aims to address these challenges by providing business guidance and promoting entrepreneurship at the village, district and state levels. Mangave said the organisation was working across all 36 districts of Maharashtra in a phased manner to promote business development and employment generation. He also confirmed that GTUIC would support the Seva First Innovation Challenge.
The agreement was signed by Manisha Verma, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Dr Apurva Palkar, Vice-Chancellor of Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skills University; and Mangave.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Lodha. Other officials and representatives attending the event included Ashish Pednekar, Karunakar Shetty, Shivaji Mankar, Shikhar Jain, Rameshwar Pawar, Suresh Ghorpade, Annasaheb Patil, Diwakar Keskar, advocate Richa Pathak, Akshata Bhambale, Vishal Bandgar and Jitu Chavan.
The agreement is intended to strengthen links between young innovators and the industrial sector while expanding entrepreneurship opportunities beyond urban centres. However, the announcement did not specify the number of participants expected to benefit, the funding allocated to the initiative or a timeline for providing support to selected innovators.
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