Jalna: Jalna’s district collector Ashima Mittal visited and reviewed the progress of the first phase of the upcoming ‘MAGIC-Jalna ITI Incubation Centre’ at Government ITI, Jalna, on Saturday. This initiative, being implemented under the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC) funds, is a project in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode between Jalna District Administration and Marathwada Accelerator for Growth and Incubation Council (MAGIC).
The review meeting was attended by MAGIC Directors Sunil Raithatta, Ritesh Mishra, Nitin Kabra, Yashraj Pitti and assistant commissioner of the District Skill Development, Employment and Entrepreneurship Guidance Centre, Jalna, Anuj Bansal, Ganesh Chimankar and Atmaram Dalvi.
During the meeting, the MAGIC board shared details of milestones achieved so far. The decision to establish this incubation centre was taken two years ago during a Maharashtra State Cabinet meeting held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Subsequently, with the support of the district administration and the Skill Development Department, suitable space was allocated at Government ITI, Jalna. The required funds for the first phase have already been sanctioned through DPDC, and the initial work is now nearing completion.
Significantly, this is the first incubation centre in India to be set up within the campus of a government ITI in a Tier-3 city. In line with the Maharashtra Startup Policy, the centre aims to provide an enabling ecosystem for ITI students, faculty members, local industries, and aspiring entrepreneurs from rural areas to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship. The centre will be equipped with advanced facilities for problem-solving, research, prototyping, modelling, and testing, with a focus on developing solutions to local challenges.
The incubation centre is being developed in Workshop No. 2 of the ITI campus, with a total built-up area of 10,300 sq. ft.—comprising 2,225 sq. ft. on the first floor and 8,075 sq. ft. on the ground floor. Once operational, it will directly benefit students and faculty from eight government and four private ITIs in Jalna district, as well as local industries and startups.
Speaking on the occasion, MAGIC Director Ritesh Mishra said that this centre will further accelerate the region’s journey towards innovation and entrepreneurship.
