Chandigarh, Oct. 7 -- Even five months after the Chandigarh administration rolled out its much-awaited startup policy, not a single entrepreneur has been able to benefit from it, as the working guidelines are yet to be approved by the committee headed by the chief secretary. The policy, which came into effect on April 29, 2025, was announced after a delay of nearly seven years and was projected as a game-changer for local entrepreneurs. However, officials have confirmed that no applications have been received under the policy so far. The startup policy is valid for five years from the date of notification. Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner and secretary, industries, Chandigarh, said that the policy's implementation has been delayed because the working guidelines are still under consideration. "The guidelines are expected to be approved within two weeks," he said. The formulation of the startup policy began in 2018, two years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Startup India Initiative, encouraging states and union territories to design policies catering to their local ecosystems. However, a series of administrative delays and policy reversals caused Chandigarh to miss multiple deadlines. In August 2023, the matter was raised in the Lok Sabha, where Som Parkash, Union minister of state for commerce and industry, informed that 335 startups were already recognised under the Startup India Initiative in Chandigarh. Despite this, the city continues to lack an operational framework to support and incentivise budding entrepreneurs. Naveen Manglani, vice-president of the Chamber of Chandigarh Industries (CII), criticised the delay, saying, "It is incomprehensible why the administration is sitting on the working guidelines despite the city's high unemployment rate." He added that the delay contradicts the vision outlined in the "Chandigarh 2030 and Beyond" document released in November 2022, which had highlighted limited employment opportunities and a lack of industry-academia integration. The report emphasised that the government remains the city's largest employer, with insufficient efforts to impart technical skills aligned with evolving job markets. The vision document had also recommended renewed efforts to attract digital jobs, revitalise the IT Park, and explore new avenues such as establishing a film city or media hub to diversify employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in the region....