Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with startup founders during his Chennai Metro ride, where entrepreneurs shared their ideas and ongoing work with him.
Modi was in Chennai on October 11 and flagged off the Porur–Poonamallee Metro rail journey. As part of the event, he travelled on the Metro along with Chief Minister Vijay. During the ride, more than 15 leading startup founders met the Prime Minister and spoke about ventures that could be initiated in Tamil Nadu.
Vignesh Kandasamy, CEO of a startup, said they explained how satellite-based assessments can be used to track construction activity, progress and risks. He added that the Prime Minister asked whether the same approach could be used to monitor roads and bridges, and the team responded that it was possible. He also spoke about their assessments related to mangrove forests and lake monitoring, including work carried out with the Tamil Nadu government.
Sasindar Marimuthu, CEO of another firm, said the discussion focused on strengthening India’s aviation ecosystem and the role of domestic participation. Ramesh Kumar, a co-founder and CEO of a prominent company, said they showed the Prime Minister details and photographs related to their “Vikram 1” rocket placing a nano-satellite into orbit in July, and an attempt involving a South Korean rocket from Brazil.
Officials said the Prime Minister listened closely to the suggestions and assured continued support from the Union government for sectors such as the growing space industry. Time was allotted for each startup leader to speak, and Modi also offered inputs on their proposals.
