The Central government has approved a startup incubation centre for Mangaluru to provide basic facilities for people intending to set up self-employment units, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The Centre would start functioning within four months with an investment of Rs 1.18 crore, she said.

Facilities would be provided to 60 startup companies at the centre in the initial phase, the Minister of state for for Commerce and Industry said after inspecting the site identified for the centre here last evening.

The start-up companies could function here for a specified term and required facilities would be provided in the second floor of the corporation sub office.

Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nitte University, National Institute of Technology, Karnataka (NIT-K) and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) would extend assistance to the centre, she said.