{
  "id": 263435,
  "title": "Conflict of interest in startup funding panel “unavoidable”, says Technology Development Board secretary",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/conflict-of-interest-in-startup-funding-panel-unavoidable-says",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-07T12:18:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/conflict-of-interest-in-startup-funding-panel-unavoidable-says-technology-development-board-secretary/article71317337.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Technology Development Board (TDB) secretary, Rajesh Pathak, stated on Friday that the conflict of interest in selecting expert panels to fund technology startups is \"unavoidable\" and must be managed. This comment came after the government disclosed in Parliament on July 30 that members of the TDB's expert panel had financial links to companies they were evaluating for public funding. The TDB, under the Department of Science and Technology, is responsible for allocating funds from the ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. As of July, the TDB had approved support for 22 projects, totaling ₹2,192 crore in RDI financing. The Investment Committee, chaired by Dr. Saurabh Srivastava, includes several members with financial ties to the companies they evaluate. To manage these conflicts, the TDB has implemented guidelines, such as requiring members to disclose any financial interest and recuse themselves when their companies are being discussed. Additionally, companies with direct or indirect financial connections to members are automatically disqualified from receiving funding.",
  "summary": "The Technology Development Board (TDB) secretary, Rajesh Pathak, has stated that conflict of interest in selecting expert panels to disburse public funds for technology startups is unavoidable and a matter to be managed. This comes after the government's disclosure in Parliament and media reports revealing that members of an expert panel constituted by the TDB had financial links to companies they adjudicated for public funds. The TDB, affiliated with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), is one of the agencies allocated to channel money under the Centre's ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. The TDB has approved support for 22 projects involving ₹2,192 crore of RDI financing. To manage these conflicts of interest, the TDB has clear guidelines, including members disclosing any financial interest in the companies being evaluated and recusal when their companies are being discussed.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu - Sci-Tech",
        "title": "Conflict of interest in startup funding panel ‘unavoidable’, says Technology Development Board secretary",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/conflict-of-interest-in-startup-funding-panel-unavoidable-says",
        "published": "2026-08-08T21:18:10.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}