Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday called for startup-developed technologies to be taken beyond major cities and deployed in districts and government hospitals so that citizens can benefit from them directly, rather than such innovations remaining limited to funding support or urban pilots.
Speaking at the Rajasthan Yuva Conclave 2026 in Jaipur, she said government support to startups should not end with providing funding. Technologies with relevant public applications should be taken to government hospitals and other facilities and put to use quickly, she said.
“Startup ideas, however relevant they may be, need government support, policy support and funding. But more importantly, such ideas should be immediately put to use,” Sitharaman said during an interaction with startup founders and beneficiaries.
She cited the example of an AI-based technology developed for the early screening of developmental issues in children. The startup has deployed its technology at 30 primary health centres (PHCs) in Rajasthan, with more than 1,500 families receiving intervention so far, its founder said.
The technology uses a three-minute video assessment to identify whether a child may require further developmental support. The founder said the aim was to make such screening more accessible to families outside major metropolitan centres, where specialised assessment can be expensive and time-consuming.
Sitharaman praised the Rajasthan government for not only supporting the startup financially through its iStart programme but also taking its technology into the public health system. “It’s important to take it to every district,” she said, emphasising that startups should be able to move from an idea to actual public deployment with government support.
She also highlighted the potential of AI in banking during her interaction with the founder of Rajasthan-based startup Advarisk, which uses AI to help financial institutions detect potential fraud and monitor loan exposure.
The startup said it works with more than 100 financial institutions and helps identify potential fraud proactively, with the objective of reducing credit costs and non-performing assets and enabling deserving micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and individuals to access loans at lower cost.
Sitharaman described such technology as having national relevance, saying solutions developed by Rajasthan startups should be made available to banks and financial institutions across the country.
The minister also highlighted the role of startups in simplifying access to financial products and encouraged self-help groups to move beyond traditional livelihood activities and explore businesses such as warehousing and cold storage, supported by bank financing.
