Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Friday said India has witnessed a transformational rise in entrepreneurship, with the number of startups crossing the two lakh mark, making the country the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world.
Addressing a startup camp organised by the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) in Jammu, the minister said the growth reflects a major shift in the country’s innovation culture. “In just a few years, we have grown from 350–400 startups to more than two lakh. Today, the results speak for themselves and show how far we have come,” he said.
Singh said the surge also highlights that young people always had talent and potential, but it was not being properly channelised earlier. Highlighting Doda as the birthplace of the ‘Purple Revolution’ under the Startup India movement, he said the initiative has earned nationwide recognition and is now being celebrated across the country.
“From Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to Arunachal Pradesh and even Nagaland, almost all Himalayan states are part of this celebration,” he said.
The minister said the region has emerged as a new hub of youth entrepreneurship, with agriculture at its core. “For a long time, startups were seen as synonymous only with IT, but agriculture is a vast sector with immense potential. India’s 10,000-km-long coastline also offers enormous opportunities,” he added.
Referring to the Startup India and Stand Up India initiatives launched in 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said they marked a decisive turning point. “Earlier, there was confusion about what startup and standup meant, but once enabling support was provided, people surged ahead,” he said.
Emphasising inclusive growth, Singh said 45 to 50 per cent of startups are now emerging from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, breaking the myth that innovation is confined to metros such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad. He also dismissed the notion that higher academic degrees are necessary for entrepreneurship. “Many successful startups are being run by people who have not even completed graduation,” he said.
Citing the lavender mission as a model initiative, the minister said its success was driven by on-the-spot distillation units, strong market linkages and access to markets as far as Mumbai. “The government is providing every kind of support — technological, market and financial,” he said.
Singh also highlighted the growing role of women entrepreneurs, stating that nearly 60,000 to 65,000 of the two lakh startups are women-led. “The lavender success story has broken several myths — that only scientists can lead, that women cannot lead, and that startups must be based in big metros,” he said.
Calling for greater passion, mentorship and guidance, Singh said small towns are full of talent. “If you speak to these young girls for just two minutes, you will understand their capability. We must hand-hold them and give them direction at the right stage,” he said, citing the Vigyan Jyoti scheme as an example of early-stage support for students.