Bhoomika Singh
Startups and the entire technology ecosystem drive growth in any country. According to data provided by the government, the number of recognised startups in the country has increased from 471 in 2016 to 72,993 in 2022 (as of 30th June 2022).
Som Parkash, Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, provided this information in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha today. On January 16, 2016, the government launched the Startup India initiative to build a stronger ecosystem for nurturing India’s startup culture, which would further drive our economic growth, support entrepreneurship, and enable large-scale job opportunities.
DPIIT has recognised startups from 56 different industries. More than 4,500 Startups have been recognised in emerging technology sectors such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, artificial intelligence, analytics, and so on.
Furthermore, in 2016, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) launched the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) to foster the development of ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and technology-driven) into successful startups.
To promote biotechnology innovation, the Department of Biotechnology, through the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), supports and nurtures biotechnology startups. The BioNEST Scheme (Bio incubators Nurturing Entrepreneurship for Scaling Technologies) and Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) schemes are the most important.
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The government has also established 26 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in various areas of national interest to promote self-sufficiency and build capabilities to capitalise on new and emerging technology. The Central Government, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), State Government(s), industry partnerships, and venture capital firms are all working together to establish these domain-specific CoEs across India. These CoEs serve as critical enablers of innovation in emerging technologies.
