Jaipur, Nov. 18 -- Rajasthan is emerging as a major startup hub under chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, a release from the chief minister's office said on Monday, adding that the state's iStart programme supported over 7,100 startups, attracted investments of more than Rs.1,000 crore and created over 42,500 jobs through incubation, innovation and financial assistance initiatives. The Department of Information Technology and Communication is running the iStart programme to promote innovation, providing comprehensive support to start-ups through the iStart Rajasthan integrated platform, said the release. The portal offers recognition, upskilling, funding opportunities, and various incentives, with all startup-related information available on the dedicated website, says the release. According to the release, the portal functions as a one-stop gateway for all incentives and features dashboards for government officials, startups, mentors, students, teachers, and administrators. Through its Curate programme, the country's only startup rating mechanism, startups are evaluated and provided financial support and incubation facilities. Detailed reports are prepared on their investment potential, and boot camps are organised to help founders improve their products, strategies, business plans, and market approaches, the release said. The incubation support includes free workspace, connectivity, hardware, mentorship, market access, and connections with venture capitalists and investors. The iStart Nest network is helping startups scale and innovate through centres in Jaipur, Bharatpur, Udaipur, Kota, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Pali and Churu, said the release....