Lok Sabha Question No. 463 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-06
Subject: Web3 Sector
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Dr. T. Sumathy (a) Thamizhachi Thangapandian

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 463

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.12.2023

## WEB3 SECTOR

## 463.  DR. T. SUMATHY (a) THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government supports startups that are innovating in the Web3 sector in the form of any incubation or mentorship;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has taken any initiatives to upscale and train relevant officials in various departments on emerging technologies such as Web3;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government  has  collaborated  with  stakeholders,  including  the  industry, to build awareness and understanding about the potential of Web3 technologies in India: and
- (f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

(a) and (b):Yes, Madam. Web3 represents the future of internet and the Government is committed to ensuring  that  the  innovators  and  innovation  from  India  create  the  future  of  Web3  and  internet. Blockchain being an important element of Web3, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is supporting startups through the following initiatives:

A CoE in Blockchain Technology has been setup in collaboration with MeitY, Software Technology Parks  of  India  (STPI),  Govt.  of  Haryana,  Padup  Venture  Private  Limited,  IBM,  Intel,  Global Blockchain  Association  (GBA)  and  Foundation  of  Innovation  and  Technology  Transfer  (FITT)  in March 2020. This is an initiative to identify and evaluate promising start-ups in the field of Blockchain technology.  The  CoE  is  a  domain-specific  specialized  incubation  facility  for  start-ups  in  the  area  of emerging technologies where infrastructure, technology, leadership, mentoring, training and networking are made available.

Besides this, MeitY supports startups that are innovating in the emerging technologies in the form of incubation or mentorship. Details are given at Annexure-1.

(c)  and  (d):  MeitY  has  initiated  a  programme  titled  'FutureSkills  PRIME'  (Programme  for  Reskilling/Up-skilling  of  IT  Manpower  for  Employability)  aimed  at  re-skilling/  up-skilling  of  IT professionals in 10 new/emerging technologies namely Blockchain (which is an important technology for Web3), Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation, Augmented/Virtual Reality, Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, Additive Manufacturing/ 3D Printing, Cloud Computing, Social & Mobile and Cyber Security.

Under  the  FutureSkills  PRIME  programme,  there  are  9  courses  available  on  Blockchain  technology with  1,999  enrollments  and  301  have  been  completed  the  course.  Also  under  the  blended  learning programme,  C-DAC/NIELIT  resource  centres  have  trained  1,013  Government  Officials  and  143 Trainers in Blockchain technology.

- (e) and  (f): There is no such proposal.

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-  TIDE 2.0 Scheme: Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0)  Scheme was initiated in the  year 2019 to promote tech entrepreneurship through financial and technical support to incubators engaged in supporting ICT startups using emerging technologies such as IoT, AI, Block-chain, Robotics etc. The Scheme is being implemented through 51 incubators through a three tiered structure with an overarching objective  to  promote  incubation  activities  at  institutes  of  higher  learning  and  premier R&D organisations.
-  SAMRIDH Scheme: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched  the  'Start-up  Accelerator  Programme  of  MeitY  for  Product  Innovation, Development and Growth (SAMRIDH)' in August 2021 with an aim to support existing and upcoming Accelerators to further select and accelerate potential software product based start-ups to scale.
-  Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS): NGIS has been approved to support software product ecosystem and to address a significant portion of National Policy on Software Product (NPSP) 2019.
-  Support for International Patent Protection in E&IT (SIP-EIT) Scheme: Ministry of  Electronics  &  Information  Technology  (MeitY)  had  initiated  a  scheme  titled 'Support  for International  Patent  Protection  in  E&IT  (SIP-EIT)  that  encourages international patent filing by Indian MSMEs and start-ups so as to encourage innovation and recognize the value and capabilities of global IP.

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