LUCKNOW, Aug. 7 -- With a view to giving a boost to the startup culture in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has stepped up efforts to establish one incubator in every district. Currently, there are 70 incubators scattered over several districts in the state. The government also aims to form a separate organisation to take care of the startup ecosystem in the state. Speaking exclusively to Hindustan Times, IT and electronics minister Sunil Kumar Sharma said: "Around 15,000 startups are registered in the state. However, if we go by unofficial data, the figures go up to 27,000. We have 70 incubators across the state, but these are concentrated in a few districts. The government is trying to make sure there is one incubator in every district." "We are mulling establishment of a dedicated organisation consisting of industry experts for startups in the state. At the moment, the system is being governed by bureaucrats instead of experienced people from that particular field," Sharma added. The minister also revealed that the department is also working on a dashboard for investors to bring more transparency. "We will also bring a similar automated dashboard for start-ups as well. This will ensure that work doesn't get unnecessarily delayed," he added. On the government's proposal to develop Lucknow as an 'AI City', the minister said: "The idea is to attract companies working on AI to set up base in Lucknow, generating more employment opportunities for youth. Apart from the NCR region which has now become a hub for IT giants, we also want IT players to come to cities like Lucknow, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Varanasi and Gorakhpur. However, this does not solely depend on the government, but also on the IT sector players." Sharma also hinted at better incentives for tech companies in the upcoming policy for the companies willing to set up their units in UP cities outside the NCR region. Earlier, tech giant IBM had announced its software lab in Lucknow, and it is expected to be operational by the end of this year. The lab will focus on AI for GovTech, applying generative AI to improve governance and productivity. Besides, HCL, which is already present in the state capital, is expanding its infrastructure and a data centre by Sify inside the HCL IT City premises on Sultanpur Road in Lucknow. Recently, a semiconductor unit by Foxconn and HCL was approved by the Centre near the Jewar airport in the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) area. The new semiconductor unit -- the first in UP -- is expected to attract an investment of Rs.3,700 crore. However, principal secretary, IT and electronics, Anurag Yadav was unavailable for a comment on the development....