In a significant push to support local entrepreneurship, the Delhi government will establish two food processing incubation centres and three high-tech laboratories aimed at boosting startups and micro enterprises, Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced.
The incubation centres will be located at Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University’s World Class Skill Centres in Jhandewalan and Wazirpur. They will be backed by a ₹4.5 crore investment under the central government’s PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme. Sirsa said an initial tranche of ₹50 lakh has already been released, and procurement of bakery line equipment is underway.
In addition, three advanced tech labs—two focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) and one fabrication lab—will be set up at the East and Main campuses of Netaji Subhas University of Technology. These will be funded through a ₹3.06 crore CSR grant from the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
“These centres will offer prototyping, testing, and upskilling support to students, faculty, and local entrepreneurs,” said Sirsa. “Under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s leadership, we aim to make Delhi the first choice for innovators, MSMEs, and skilled youth. These labs will bridge the gap between ideation and execution.”
Launched in 2020 with a ₹10,000 crore outlay, the PMFME scheme has been extended through FY 2025-26. It supports the formalization of India’s unorganized micro food processing sector through credit-linked subsidies, shared infrastructure, and One District One Product (ODOP) initiatives.
The new infrastructure is expected to accelerate Delhi’s ambitions of becoming a hub for food innovation and advanced manufacturing, especially for startups operating at the intersection of technology and food.