RT team
HDFC Bank, in collaboration with the Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog, has awarded Rs 19.6 crore in grants to support social sector startups in India for the fiscal year 2024. This funding was distributed among 170 startups through 41 incubators under the ‘Parivartan Start-up Grants Programme.’
The grants targeted startups working in critical areas such as climate innovation, financial inclusion, agriculture, sustainable rural development, accessible healthcare, education, livelihood enhancement, and gender diversity and inclusion.
Nusrat Pathan, Head of CSR at HDFC Bank, emphasized the bank’s commitment to fostering impactful social startups. “Our goal is to strengthen and expand the influence of innovative social enterprises across essential sectors, driving towards a more sustainable and inclusive future,” Pathan stated.
The funding beneficiaries include a diverse group of enterprises, with over half located in over 60 tier 2 and tier 3 cities across India. Among the incubators that facilitated these grants are HTIC at IIT Madras, Awadh at IIT Ropar, T-Hub in Hyderabad, FITT at IIT Delhi, and several others including RISE Foundation at IISER Kolkata and Forge Forward in Coimbatore.
Since launching in 2017, the initiative has supported over 400 startups from more than 120 incubators across the nation, according to HDFC Bank.
