Guwahati: Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday asserted that the benefits of digital technology should reach every nook and cranny of the country to ensure its overall development, an official statement here said.

Chairing a closed-door post-Budget interaction with stakeholders from the industry in the Northeast here, Sitharaman said the government was taking "futuristic steps" by focusing on development through enhancement of digital infrastructure in the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was present at the meeting, discussed ways to develop start-up ecosystems in the State. Sarma said his government and SIDBI have decided to set up mid-level start-up infrastructure in colleges and universities, according to the statement.

He also emphasized the need to expand the role of the Indian Institute of Technology in handholding others institutions to boost the startup sector.

Others who attended the session include Chief Economic Adviser Dr. V Anantha Nageswaran, Union Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, and Finance Secretary Dr. TV Somanathan.

Sitharaman was in Guwahati on a day-long visit to attend the meeting. She refrained from talking to the media and left for Delhi in the afternoon. - PTI