New Delhi, August 12
On the occasion of International Youth Day 2025, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minority Morcha organised the "Dr Kalam Startup Youth Award 2.0" ceremony at the party's headquarters in New Delhi.
The awards were given to selected minority youth entrepreneurs under the "Salaam Kalam" campaign.
Jamal Siddiqui, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president of minority morcha, said that the "Salaam Kalam" campaign was launched in 2024 to recognise and reward minority youth who have excelled in entrepreneurship and innovation. The campaign is part of the party's efforts to promote startups and entrepreneurship among minority youth, in line with the Prime Minister's vision of creating a strong ecosystem for startups and new ideas in the country.
A total of 22,300 minority youth from across the country nominated themselves for the award, and 24 awardees were selected, including 21 zonal winners and three national winners. The awardees were recognised for their innovative ideas and entrepreneurial skills, and were awarded the "Dr. Kalam Startup Youth Award 2.0.
The national winners include Shujaat Haider Jafri (Uttar Pradesh), Mohammad Shaukat (Telangana), and Sam P. Philip. The zonal winners include Irshad (Uttar Pradesh), Karan Gurudita (Haryana), Sayyed Nayab (Uttar Pradesh), and others from different states.
The award ceremony was part of the BJP's efforts to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among minority youth, and to recognise their contributions to the country's economic development.
The ceremony was attended by senior party officials, including Shiv Prakash, National Co-Organising Secretary; Dushyant Gautam, National General Secretary and Incharge of Minority Morcha; Abdullah Kutty, National Vice President; Jamal Siddiqui, National President of Minority Morcha; George Kurian, Minister of State for Minority Affairs; Danish Azad Ansari, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Uttar Pradesh; and other dignitaries.
— ANI
Reader Comments
While I appreciate the effort, I hope this isn't just political tokenism. The real test will be whether these entrepreneurs get sustained support beyond the awards ceremony.
22,300 nominations is impressive! Shows how much entrepreneurial spirit exists among our youth. More power to all participants, winners or not. #StartupIndia
As someone from a minority community, I'm genuinely happy to see such initiatives. But I wish there was more coverage of the actual business ideas that won - that would inspire more youngsters!
Naming it after Dr. Kalam is perfect. He was a true visionary who believed in India's youth power. Hope these awards help create more job creators rather than job seekers.
Honored to be one of the zonal winners! This recognition means the world to my small agri-tech startup. The mentorship sessions were particularly valuable. Jai Hind!
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