T-NEST to Drive Agri-Tech, Bamboo and Digital Innovation
Agartala Feb 26: In a decisive move to position Tripura as an emerging innovation hub in the North East, the State Government has intensified efforts to build a structured and future-ready startup ecosystem.
Anchored in policy reform and institutional support, the initiative reflects the broader national vision championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is being driven at the State level under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha.
Over the past few years, Tripura has witnessed a steady rise in entrepreneurial aspirations.
This momentum has been driven by a vibrant youth population, active academic institutions, and progressive policy interventions aimed at fostering innovation-led growth.
New Tripura Start-Up Policy, 2025
In a significant policy shift, the Directorate of Information Technology introduced the New Tripura Start-Up Policy in 2025.
This marked a transition from the earlier IT/ITeS Start-Up Scheme, 2019.
Unlike the previous framework, the new policy adopts an inclusive and forward-looking approach.
It promotes innovation across multiple sectors, including agriculture, tourism, forest-based industries, healthcare, IT services, and rural technologies.
Nearly 100 startups have already been approved under the policy. This reflects the State’s growing entrepreneurial momentum and its commitment to building a resilient, innovation-driven economy.
Launch of T-NEST Alongside SIM
Taking a landmark step toward institutionalizing innovation support, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha inaugurated Tripura’s first premier incubation and innovation hub — T-NEST (Tripura: Nurturing Entrepreneurship and Startups).
The inauguration took place during the launch of the Tripura State Innovation Mission (SIM) in Agartala.
The event was attended by several distinguished dignitaries, including Suman Bery, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog; Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State; V. K. Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog; Chief Secretary Jitendra Kumar Sinha, IAS; Rajib Kumar Sen, Programme Director, NITI Aayog; Kiran Gitte, IAS, Secretary, IT & Good Governance; and Jeya Ragul Geshan B, IFS, Director, IT & Head, Startup Tripura, among others.
What is T-NEST?
T-NEST (Tripura: Nurturing Entrepreneurship and Startups) is conceived as a flagship initiative of the Directorate of Information Technology.
It is designed to function as the State’s central platform for structured startup incubation and ecosystem convergence.
Established as a state-level plug-and-play incubation facility at the International Business Centre Building, Hapania, Agartala, T-NEST spans approximately 36,000 sq. ft. of dedicated space.
The facility provides ready-to-use office spaces, co-working areas, conference rooms, an auditorium, high-speed connectivity, and structured mentoring and advisory support.
T-NEST aims to provide early-stage startups with comprehensive infrastructure and institutional backing to transform innovative ideas into sustainable enterprises.
It is envisioned as a convergence platform bringing together government, academia, industry, investors, and entrepreneurs to promote youth-led innovation, local employment generation, and regional economic growth in the North Eastern region.
“Tripura’s Innovation Operating System”
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha described T-NEST as “Tripura’s innovation operating system” and the execution arm of Startup Tripura.
He emphasized that it would bridge the gap between policy and practice by connecting campuses to markets, ideas to investments, and innovation to measurable impact.
Drawing inspiration from national best practices such as T-Hub and NSRCEL, T-NEST follows a program-first approach.
The incubation pathway includes structured stages such as scouting, pre-incubation, pilot implementation, and investment readiness.
The hub will prioritize strategic sectors for Tripura, including agri-tech, bamboo and forest-based industries, tourism, health-tech, digital services, and rural innovation.
It also promotes a “Government-as-First Customer” model, enabling startups to design and pilot governance-driven solutions in collaboration with State departments.
Strategic Shift to Institution-Based Innovation
Kiran Gitte, IAS, Secretary, Information Technology & Good Governance, highlighted that T-NEST represents a shift from scheme-based support to an institution-based innovation framework.
The Government’s objective, he noted, is to create a sustainable and process-driven incubation ecosystem with measurable outcomes in startup growth, technology adoption, and employment generation.
He further emphasized that integrating good governance principles with digital innovation would enable startups to co-create solutions for public service delivery.
This approach is expected to enhance transparency, efficiency, and citizen-centric governance.
The collaboration with T-Hub is expected to bring national-level expertise, structured programme management, and global exposure to Tripura’s entrepreneurs.
Operational Framework and Sustainability
Designed with a lean yet high-quality operational framework, T-NEST will provide structured mentoring, legal and compliance assistance, intellectual property facilitation, and investment readiness support.
An advisory board comprising representatives from government, academia, industry, investors, and startup founders will guide its operations.
Sustainability will be ensured through a blended model that includes government support, CSR partnerships, and corporate innovation programmes.
Roadmap for the Next 24 Months
Over the next two years, T-NEST aims to support 30–60 startups, facilitate pilot deployments, and attract investor participation.
The initiative aligns with national missions such as Startup India, Atal Innovation Mission, and Digital India.
It will also be complemented by the upcoming Incubation and Innovation Park at Chandmari, Agartala, and the proposed Tripura IT & Data Economic Zone (TIDEZ), aimed at catalysing IT, ITeS, and data centre ecosystems in the State.
MoU with T-Hub as Knowledge Partner
A key highlight of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Directorate of Information Technology, Government of Tripura, and T-Hub — one of India’s leading startup incubators.
Under this partnership, T-Hub will serve as the Knowledge Partner for the New Tripura Start-Up Policy 2025.
It will provide structured mentoring, access to domain experts, investor connect opportunities, and capacity-building support for startups in Tripura.
Dignitaries including Dr Jitendra Singh, Suman Bery, V. K. Saraswat, and Rajib Kumar Sen lauded Tripura’s progressive initiatives and observed that T-NEST has the potential to emerge as a model incubation framework for other States.
Mission-Driven Institutional Platform
Jeya Ragul Geshan B, IFS, Director, Information Technology & Head, Startup Tripura, stated that T-NEST is not merely a physical incubation space but a mission-driven institutional platform.
It is designed to generate measurable outcomes in startup survival, scalability, and employment generation.
He underlined that the focus would remain on structured programme delivery, robust governance mechanisms, and continuous ecosystem engagement to ensure competitiveness at the national level.
The partnership with T-Hub, he added, would bring global best practices, structured mentorship, and investor access to accelerate Tripura’s emergence as a vibrant innovation hub in the North East.
Exhibition Showcases Local Innovation
The programme also featured an exhibition showcasing innovative products and solutions developed by 25 local startups.
Additionally, 16 student-led projects from eight technical institutions were displayed under the New Generation Innovation Network (NGIN) scheme.
The exhibition facilitated meaningful interaction among startups, investors, industry representatives, policymakers, and citizens.
It reflected a collective commitment to strengthening Tripura’s innovation landscape.
With the inauguration of T-NEST and formalization of its partnership with T-Hub, the Government of Tripura has reaffirmed its resolve to build an innovation-led growth model aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and the State’s vision of Vikshit Tripura 2047.
By synergizing with flagship initiatives such as Startup India, Digital India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and the India AI Mission, Tripura is poised to emerge as a dynamic hub of entrepreneurship and technological advancement in the North Eastern region of India.