An investigative inquiry into the distribution of the government’s ₹1-lakh-crore deep-tech fund revealed that several recipient firms maintain organizational ties with members of the selection committee. Reports indicate that 15 of the 22 technology enterprises selected for public funding grants had formal or advisory links to seven panelists appointed to evaluate applicant proposals. Panel members defended the evaluation process, stating that all potential conflicts of interest were formally declared prior to deliberations and that affected experts recused themselves from scoring related candidates. However, lawmakers and industry policy experts have called for enhanced governance protocols, arguing that large-scale public venture funds require independent third-party oversight mechanisms to maintain market fairness. The ₹1-lakh-crore initiative was launched to accelerate domestic innovation in strategic sectors including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductor design, and advanced robotics. Industry representatives emphasized that India’s specialized deep-tech ecosystem is relatively small, making overlap between expert evaluators and pioneering startup founders common. Nevertheless, transparency advocates argue that blind evaluation frameworks, international peer reviews, and automated scoring systems should be implemented to eliminate perceived bias. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is reviewing selection procedures to determine whether additional regulatory guardrails are necessary for future funding cycles. Startup founders expressed concern that governance controversies could slow down capital disbursement schedules for critical research and development projects. Parliamentarians plan to raise the issue during upcoming committee meetings to ensure that public capital deployment adheres to rigorous ethical guidelines while supporting cutting-edge domestic technology ventures.
Government Deep-Tech Fund Oversight Questioned Over Panel Conflict Guardrails
