Sai Lays Foundation Stone for ₹88.76-Crore Innovation and Startup Centre at NIT Raipur

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai digitally lays the foundation stone for the Smt Mithilesh Agrawal Centre of Excellence at NIT Raipur in the presence of institute Director Dr N. V. Ramana Rao on Tuesday, 10 November 2026.Photo: primelookindia.com via CG/CMO

he centre will house seven laboratories and a startup incubator, giving students and aspiring entrepreneurs a place to test ideas, build prototypes and develop them into businesses.

Key Highlights

• Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai laid the foundation stone for the Smt Mithilesh Agrawal Centre of Excellence at NIT Raipur on Tuesday, 10 November 2026.
• The Motilal Oswal Foundation is contributing more than ₹71 crore towards the ₹88.76-crore project.
• Seven laboratories will cover areas including artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, 3D printing and clean technology.
• Sai said the state had made a provision of ₹500 crore each for the Chief Minister’s Startup and Nipun Mission and the Chief Minister’s AI Mission.

Raipur: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai laid the foundation stone for an ₹88.76-crore innovation and entrepreneurship centre at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. The Smt Mithilesh Agrawal Centre of Excellence for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Engineering and Technology will bring laboratories, prototyping facilities and startup incubation under one roof.

Sai said young people should be able to develop inventions and build companies in Chhattisgarh without having to move to a metropolitan city for resources or mentorship. He urged students to think about the jobs their own ventures could create.

“Our young people should become job creators as well as job seekers,” Sai said.

Seven Laboratories and Space to Build Startups

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and NIT Raipur Director Dr N. V. Ramana Rao and other dignitaries stand beside the foundation plaque for the Smt Mithilesh Agrawal Centre of Excellence at the institute on Tuesday, 10 November 2026.Photo:primelookindia.com via CG /CMO

The centre will occupy a plot of about 6,525 square metres on the NIT Raipur campus, with a built-up area of approximately 12,307 square metres. The building will have a basement, a ground floor and six upper floors.

Its laboratories will cover AI and machine learning, robotics and automation, data analytics and computing, blockchain and cybersecurity, 3D printing and additive manufacturing, augmented and virtual reality and the Internet of Things, and clean technology and sustainability.

The centre will also house a startup incubator, co-working spaces, smart classrooms, a conference hall, exhibition space, an amphitheatre and accommodation. Aspiring entrepreneurs will be able to seek expert guidance, develop prototypes and connect with investors, banks and government schemes. The training facilities will also be available to students from engineering colleges, polytechnics and industrial training institutes, as well as working professionals.

Students Showcase Ideas for Everyday Problems

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai is welcomed with a memento at NIT Raipur on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, on the occasion of the foundation-stone ceremony for the Smt Mithilesh Agrawal Centre of Excellence. Photo :primelookindia.com via CG/CMO

During the visit, Sai spoke with NIT Raipur students about their prototypes and how they might be used. The projects included AI-assisted waste management, home delivery of medicines, detection of defects in industrial equipment and metals, and a helmet-based road safety solution.

Sai encouraged students to develop promising classroom projects into products and businesses. He said technology had practical value when it made people’s lives safer or easier, and assured the students of government support for developing their ideas.

A Centre Named in Memory of Mithilesh Agrawal

Sai felicitated entrepreneur Ramdeo Agrawal, who initiated the project in memory of his mother, Mithilesh Agrawal. The Motilal Oswal Foundation is contributing more than ₹71 crore. Sai placed the contribution in the context of Chhattisgarh’s tradition of philanthropy, recalling the work of Dau Kalyan Singh and Seth Kirodimal.

The Chief Minister also congratulated Agrawal, the foundation, NIT Raipur Chairperson Dr Suresh Haware, Director Dr N. V. Ramana Rao and the institute’s team.

Sai Outlines ₹500-Crore Plans for Each of Two State Missions

“Our priority is to bring modern education, technology and skills training to young people in remote and tribal areas, including Bastar and Surguja,” Sai said.

Sai said the state had made a ₹500-crore provision for the Chief Minister’s Startup and Nipun Mission to help young entrepreneurs access guidance, capital and other support. The state is working to establish entrepreneurship development centres and new technology laboratories across its districts.

He said a separate ₹500-crore investment was planned under the Chief Minister’s AI Mission, which envisages 100 AI data labs and five Centres of Excellence. Sai said training and skills development should also reach young people in Bastar, Surguja and other remote and tribal areas.

Sai pointed to work on semiconductor units and an AI data centre park as part of the state’s effort to attract emerging technology industries. He said closer ties between industry and institutions such as NIT Raipur, IIT Bhilai, IIM Raipur and IIIT could help turn academic research into technologies that businesses can use.