Jammu: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Monday inaugurated the BioNEST Incubator at north India’s first Industrial Biotech Park in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, describing it as the dawn of a new era of scientific enterprise and economic transformation in the region.
Highlighting India’s growing biotechnology ecosystem, Singh noted that the country now has around 11,000 biotech startups, with 25 new ones being incubated at the Kathua Biotech Park alone — a development he said would make the region a “harbinger of prosperity and innovation.”
Calling the launch a “landmark moment,” he remarked, “This is a day that Kathua and the entire Jammu region will remember as the beginning of a new era of scientific enterprise and economic transformation.”
Addressing the gathering, Singh said the facility would help local youth develop an entrepreneurial mindset. “Earlier, people in this region were unfamiliar with the concept of incubation and biotech parks. After 2014, as such centres began coming up across India, youth elsewhere started embracing innovation — but here, dependence on government jobs continued,” he observed.
Recalling the park’s origins, the minister said, “In 2014, India had only 10 such centres. Kathua Biotech Park became the 11th, though at that time few could imagine its potential to transform the entire northern region.”
Since the park’s formal inauguration in 2022, the main challenge, Singh said, has been to make it operational and self-sustaining. “That led to the establishment of BioNEST — Bioincubators Nurturing Entrepreneurship for Scaling Technologies — which will promote technology-driven innovation and help startups thrive in the long run,” he added.
Speaking to reporters, the minister said the BioNEST Centre will provide state-of-the-art facilities for distillation, fermentation, plant tissue culture, genetic processing, and other research areas, enabling incubation for up to 25 startups annually.
He described the Biotech Park as a “flagship project of the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, implemented by CSIR-IIIM Jammu,” and urged youth and agri-entrepreneurs to take full advantage of the incubation and training opportunities.
Emphasising Kathua’s strategic location, Singh said, “Kathua is one of the best-connected destinations in North India, with abundant natural resources still waiting to be tapped. Its biodiversity and geography make it an ideal hub for biotechnology-led growth.”
He added that the next wave of growth would emerge from unexplored and untapped sectors, with the Himalayan region offering vast potential for innovation, investment, and youth employment.
Singh said the facility would serve as a gateway for innovation not only for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh but also for neighbouring states including Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Six startups were enrolled on the inaugural day and will receive training and incubation support at the park.
Urging the youth to become “job givers instead of job seekers,” Singh said the National Education Policy (NEP) enables flexibility and choice for pursuing innovation-driven careers.
The minister lauded the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and CSIR-IIIM Jammu for their collaboration, calling the initiative “a fine example of cooperative federalism between central and state institutions and research organisations.”
