New Delhi, (IANS) : The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) on Friday announced the institution of annual awards to encourage entrepreneurship among youth across the country.

The ‘National Entrepreneurship Awards’ will be given for the first time on January 30 in 11 categories. Union minister of state for skill development Rajiv Pratap Rudy will preside over the event and Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest.

To ensure the involvement of youth and ignite their interest, the ministry has partnered with many premier institutes of higher learning from across the country. IIT Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Mumbai, TISS Mumbai, IIT Chennai, XLRI Jamshedpur and IIT Kanpur are a few of those engaged by the ministry for this purpose.

“The applicants have undergone two levels of rigorous assessment, followed by selection of winners by a National Level Jury. The top three entries under each category were recommended to the National Jury for the final selection of the winners,” said the ministry in a statement.

“Pioneering this national initiative will provide models of excellence in the entrepreneurship ecosystem that would inspire the youth, specially the first generation entrepreneurs to improve and excel in their entrepreneurial pursuits,” it added

The National Level Jury will comprise of eminent personalities drawn from research, industry, social sector, banking etc.