Parliament Question: Financial Support to Start-ups

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2914.

TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 10TH MARCH, 2026.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO START-UPS

2914. THIRU DR. S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

(a) whether the Government maintains data on the number of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recognised start-ups, State/UT-wise and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government compiles data on women-led start-ups and if so, the percentage and number of such start-ups, State/UT-wise;

(c) whether data is maintained on start-ups promoted or co-founded by persons belonging to OBC, SC and ST communities and, if so, the details thereof, category and State/UT-wise;

(d) whether any targeted schemes, incentives or handholding measures have been designed specifically to support women, OBC, SC and ST founders, if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the details of the Government funding and financial support given to start-ups, State/UT-wise, under various schemes and instruments during the last five years? ANSWER वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री (श्री णिणिन प्रसाद) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a): As on 31st January 2026, a total of 2,12,283 entities have been recognised as startups. The State/Union Territory (UT)-wise details of entities recognised as startups by DPIIT as on 31st January 2026, are placed as Annexure-I.

(b): As on 31st January 2026, of the total entities recognised as startups, 1,02,054 entities (i.e. approximately 48%) have at least one-woman director/partner. The State/UT-wise details of entities recognised as startups with at least one- woman director/partner are placed as Annexure-II.

(c) & (d): The data maintained under the Startup India initiative is inclusive. The Government has implemented various measures/schemes across the country to promote entrepreneurship among women and marginalized communities.

Details of such initiatives are placed as Annexure-III.

(e): Under the Startup India initiative, the Government is implementing three flagship Schemes, Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) toprovide funding opportunities and support startups across sectors at various stages of their business cycle.

FFS has been established to catalyze venture capital investments and is operationalized by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), which provides capital to Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)-registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) which in turn invest in startups through equity and equity-linked instruments. The State/UT-wise and year-wise details of funds invested in startups by supported AIFs under the Scheme, during the last five years viz., 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 are placed as Annexure-IV.

SISFS provides financial assistance to seed-stage startups through incubators in the form of grants, convertible debentures or debt or debt-linked instruments.

SISFS is implemented from 1st April 2021. The State/UT-wise and year-wise details of the funds approved to startups by incubators under the Scheme, during the last five years viz., 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 are placed as Annexure- V.

CGSS is implemented for enabling debt funding to startups through eligible financial institutions by guaranteeing upto a specified limit against credit instruments. CGSS is operationalized by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) Limited and has been operationalized from 1st April 2023.

The State/UT-wise and year-wise details of the amount of loans guaranteed to startup borrowers under the Scheme, during the last three years viz., 2023, 2024, and 2025 are placed as Annexure-VI. ********ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2914 FOR ANSWER ON 10.03.2026.

The State/UT-wise number of entities which have been recognised as startups by DPIIT as on 31st January 2026 are as under:

State/UT No. of entities recognized as startups Andaman and Nicobar Islands 93 Andhra Pradesh 4004 Arunachal Pradesh 88 Assam 2063 Bihar 4745 Chandigarh 670 Chhattisgarh 2302 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and 90 Diu Delhi 20287 Goa 783 Gujarat 18195 Haryana 11004 Himachal Pradesh 782 Jammu and Kashmir 1446 Jharkhand 1996 Karnataka 21601 Kerala 8267 Ladakh 25 Lakshadweep 3 Madhya Pradesh 7071 Maharashtra 36782 Manipur 258 Meghalaya 91 Mizoram 64 Nagaland 115 Odisha 3678 Puducherry 225 Punjab 2368 Rajasthan 7698 Sikkim 18 Tamil Nadu 14099 Telangana 11743 Tripura 200 Uttar Pradesh 20734 Uttarakhand 1743 West Bengal 6952 Total 212283 *******ANNEXURE-II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2914 FOR ANSWER ON 10.03.2026.

The State/UT-wise number and percentage of entities recognised as startups that have at least one-woman director/partner, as on 31st January 2026, are as under:

State/UT No. of entities Approx. percentage of entities recognised as startups recognised as startups that have that have at least one- at least one-woman woman director/partner director/partner (of total entities recognized as startups) Andaman and 40 43% Nicobar Islands Andhra Pradesh 1962 49% Arunachal Pradesh 38 43% Assam 902 44% Bihar 2153 45% Chandigarh 314 47% Chhattisgarh 990 43% Dadra and Nagar 47 52% Haveli and Daman and Diu Delhi 9948 49% Goa 371 47% Gujarat 7775 43% Haryana 5419 49% Himachal Pradesh 346 44% Jammu and Kashmir 525 36% Jharkhand 922 46% Karnataka 10249 47% Kerala 3363 41% Ladakh 8 32% Lakshadweep 1 33% Madhya Pradesh 3368 48% Maharashtra 18376 50% Manipur 119 46% Meghalaya 45 49% Mizoram 23 36% Nagaland 62 54% Odisha 1836 50% Puducherry 103 46% Punjab 1186 50% Rajasthan 3664 48% Sikkim 7 39% Tamil Nadu 7042 50% Telangana 5922 50% Tripura 81 41% Uttar Pradesh 10473 51% Uttarakhand 822 47% West Bengal 3552 51% Total 1,02,054 48% *******ANNEXURE-III ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (c) & (d) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2914 FOR ANSWER ON 10.03.2026.

Details of various measures/schemes being implemented by the Government to support entrepreneurship among various marginalized communities and for women,

are as under:

I. Key measures to promote entrepreneurship for the marginalized

communities:

1. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) implements the National Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Hub (NSSH) Scheme, that aims at capacity enhancement of SC/ST entrepreneurs and promotes entrepreneurship culture amongst the SC/ST population. The Scheme is empowering SC/ST population to participate in the public procurement process and fulfill the mandated target of procurement from SC/ST enterprises under Public Procurement Policy by the Ministries, Departments, and CPSEs. The Scheme is being implemented across the country.

Since inception of the Scheme, various interventions/sub-schemes have been introduced under NSSH in consultation with various stakeholders for capital subsidy, capacity building, enhancing competitiveness, and market linkage of the SC/ST entrepreneurs. These include Special Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme, Capacity Building and Training Programs, Special Marketing Assistance Scheme (SMAS), Single Point Registration Scheme (SPRS), Reimbursement of Bank Loan Processing Fee, Reimbursement of Bank Charges on Performance Bank Guarantee, Reimbursement of Testing Fee, Reimbursement of Annual Membership fee of Export Promotion Council, Reimbursement of Annual Membership/Subscription Fee of Government Promoted e-Commerce Portals, and Top 50 NIRF Ranked Management Institution’s Short-Term Training Program Fee Reimbursement Scheme.

2. The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) implements Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) Scheme which converges five erstwhile skilling schemes. The Scheme focuses on socio-economic empowerment of the six notified minority communities through skill development, entrepreneurship and leadership of minority women, and education support for school dropouts.

3. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) through Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDP) and Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programmes (ESDP), has strengthened participants capabilities through focused interventions such as digital marketing, financial and credit linkages, market access, and industry connect. MSDE through its autonomous institutes, namely National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), is implementing the skilling and entrepreneurship component of Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyaan (PM JANMAN) – a scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs for upliftment of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Further, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana aims to promote rooftop solar adoption, empower entrepreneurs, and create sustainable livelihood opportunities, and IIE is establishing, developing andmanaging Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDC) and Incubation Centers (ICs) in North East Region’s Educational Institutions.

4. Under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), the Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes (VCF-SC) and the Venture Capital Fund for Backward Classes (VCF-BC) schemes have been formulated to support entrepreneurship among persons belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Backward Classes, including women entrepreneurs from these communities.

The schemes are being implemented through IFCI Venture Capital Ltd. the designated implementing agency/Fund Manager.

The Ministry has also launched the Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission (ASIIM) under the VCF-SC, that aims to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among Scheduled Caste youth by providing incubation, mentoring and equity support through recognised Technology Business Incubators, to help convert innovative ideas into viable enterprises.

IFCI Venture Capital Funds Ltd, has also introduced the online mentorship program in which Industry experts provide handholding support, guidance to the aspirants SC entrepreneurs through the mentorship portal i.e. aye- mentor.in. The portal is operational across the country including all States and UTs.

5. Under the Department of Financial Services, the Stand-Up India Scheme

(SUPI) was launched on 05.04.2016 and was valid/ operational till March 2025.

The objective of the Scheme was to facilitate loans from Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) of value between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs.1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and one-Woman borrower per Bank branch for setting up greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services or trading sector, including activities allied to agriculture.

6. Under Startup India initiative, the flagship funding schemes, (FFS, SISFS, and CGSS), States’ Startup Ranking Framework exercise, National Startup Awards, events such as Innovation Week and Startup Mahakumbh, and activities to encourage corporates to support startups by way of mentorship, access to infrastructure, sharing resources and knowledge, assistance in market linkages, investor connect along with various district outreach programs are undertaken to encourage grassroots innovation and setting up of startups across the country by entrepreneurs.

II. Key measures to support women-led startups:

1. Women-led startups are incentivized under the flagship schemes of Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS).

2. Capacity building programs such as the Women Capacity Development Programme (WING), Virtual Incubation Programs, Startup Learning Program for Women in Technology, Accelerating Women Entrepreneurs Program support women-led startups and women entrepreneurs in their startup journey.

3. Outreach and awareness measures include a dedicated webpage on Startup India Hub portal detailing Government measures, ASCEND Startup Workshop Series and Women for Startups Workshops, SuperStree Podcast, Women for

Startups: State Workshops, platforms to connect women entrepreneurs withinvestors, and information dissemination on print media and social media platforms to reach women-led startups and entrepreneurs across the country.

4. Women-led startups and entrepreneurs are also recognised for their progress and achievements through measures and initiatives such as interaction of women entrepreneurs with the Hon’ble President of India, specific provisions in the States’ Startup Ranking exercise to encourage support for women-led startups in States/UTs, special category for women-led startups in National Startup Awards (NSA).

5. Apart from the above measures and measures detailed in Part I. of the Annexure, other Ministries and Departments have also implemented programmes and initiatives to support women entrepreneurship and capacity building. MSDE in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog, launched the Swavalambini- a Women Entrepreneurship Programme. The programme aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among female students. Furthermore, Swavalambini aims to recognise and reward successful women entrepreneurs emerging from the programme through the Award to Rewards Initiative of Women Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog. The Women Leadership and Entrepreneurship component under the PM VIKAS Scheme of MoMA aims to provide handholding to minority women trained in leadership and basic entrepreneurship. Further, it intends to select aspiring women entrepreneurs, from amongst those trained, to become Business Mentors (to be known as ‘Biz Sakhis/ Udyami Mitras’ in the scheme) and promote establishment of individual or group enterprises for the same.

******ANNEXURE-IV ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (e) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2914 FOR ANSWER ON 10.03.2026.

The State/UT-wise and year-wise details of amount invested in startups by AIFs supported under the FFS, during the last five years viz., 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 are as under: (in Rs. crore) State/UT 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Andhra Pradesh 0.0 0.0 11.3 24.4 0.0 Arunachal Pradesh 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 Assam 14.4 9.3 1.5 13.0 0.1 Bihar 18.5 9.5 58.0 0.0 52.4 Chandigarh 0.0 0.4 11.0 0.2 9.7 Chhattisgarh 0.0 0.0 4.2 50.0 12.0 Delhi 610.3 998.9 500.0 327.8 808.0 Goa 0.0 0.0 123.9 0.0 0.0 Gujarat 47.0 299.8 198.2 141.0 94.9 Haryana 275.7 502.7 314.5 501.8 148.8 Jammu & Kashmir 0.0 0.0 0.0 50.0 0.0 Jharkhand 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.2 24.0 Karnataka 927.5 1957.9 880.3 1112.9 1340.0 Kerala 121.7 7.1 52.5 47.0 121.5 Madhya Pradesh 61.2 60.3 4.4 0.0 7.3 Maharashtra 952.8 1520.8 710.9 818.6 972.6 Manipur 1.3 5.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Meghalaya 0.0 1.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 Nagaland 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 0.0 Odisha 2.5 0.0 8.0 3.0 51.5 Puducherry 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.0 5.0 Punjab 12.3 0.0 0.1 60.5 0.0 Rajasthan 80.8 5.1 92.0 87.4 69.3 Tamil Nadu 161.3 344.4 122.7 300.5 144.8 Telangana 69.5 112.8 169.3 70.6 150.9 Tripura 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.8 0.0 Uttar Pradesh 105.1 124.4 18.8 184.1 245.0 Uttarakhand 0.0 0.0 0.1 7.2 0.0 West Bengal 28.2 13.8 9.6 0.0 13.8 Total 3491.1 5973.4 3292.1 3809.2 4271.6 ********ANNEXURE-V ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (e) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2914 FOR ANSWER ON 10.03.2026.

The State/UT-wise and year-wise details of funds approved to startups by incubators under the SISFS, during the last five years viz., 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 are

as under: (in Rs. crore) State/UT 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Andaman and Nicobar Islands - - 0.040 - - Andhra Pradesh - 1.430 4.380 3.365 3.030 Arunachal Pradesh - 0.200 - - 0.100 Assam 0.400 1.670 1.921 1.330 1.309 Bihar 0.100 1.810 4.780 1.530 0.555 Chandigarh 0.450 2.200 0.200 0.040 Chhattisgarh 0.100 0.320 0.860 0.795 0.591 Delhi 2.540 5.805 13.135 12.670 7.835 Goa 0.700 0.850 0.380 0.780 0.570 Gujarat 1.500 7.835 14.911 10.940 6.895 Haryana 0.330 4.725 7.535 8.375 7.090 Himachal Pradesh 0.100 0.250 1.890 0.700 0.440 Jammu and Kashmir - 0.100 0.330 1.420 0.800 Jharkhand 0.650 0.300 0.550 1.525 0.670 Karnataka 6.490 23.320 23.948 20.312 16.360 Kerala 0.726 3.780 3.030 2.670 3.600 Madhya Pradesh 0.500 6.543 4.210 5.978 3.654 Maharashtra 3.950 17.780 37.565 27.870 17.815 Manipur - 0.250 0.050 - 0.000 Meghalaya - 0.200 - 0.040 0.100 Mizoram - - 0.400 0.750 Nagaland - 0.250 1.140 2.580 1.000 Odisha 0.100 2.300 4.682 4.369 3.615 Puducherry - 0.766 0.200 - - Punjab - 0.220 2.796 4.020 1.450 Rajasthan 0.705 3.685 7.480 6.555 3.415 Sikkim - 0.200 - - - Tamil Nadu 3.425 8.291 13.638 19.376 10.510 Telangana 1.350 10.590 11.670 10.950 7.992 Uttar Pradesh 3.155 5.453 9.960 12.188 7.710 Uttarakhand - 1.250 0.750 1.630 1.150 West Bengal 0.765 1.160 1.550 2.915 1.744 Total 27.59 111.78 175.98 165.83 110.04 *******ANNEXURE-VI ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (e) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2914 FOR ANSWER ON 10.03.2026.

The State/UT-wise and year-wise details of amount of loans guaranteed to startup borrowers under the CGSS during the last three years viz. 2023, 2024 and 2025 are

as under: (in Rs. crore) State/UT 2023 2024 2025 Andhra Pradesh 0.00 1.50 0.00 Assam 0.00 2.52 11.45 Bihar 0.00 0.28 0.00 Chandigarh 0.00 0.15 0.00 Chhattisgarh 0.00 0.00 0.65 Delhi 35.65 25.96 3.80 Gujarat 6.50 3.00 30.27 Haryana 27.25 58.17 37.27 Jammu and Kashmir 0.00 2.00 5.00 Karnataka 30.16 37.18 29.18 Kerala 4.50 24.50 3.00 Madhya Pradesh 8.80 1.00 1.00 Maharashtra 59.75 64.99 45.53 Odisha 0.00 0.00 4.50 Rajasthan 3.50 15.00 0.00 Tamil Nadu 8.65 62.00 13.95 Telangana 5.60 14.87 2.00 Uttar Pradesh 24.42 27.21 13.73 Uttarakhand 0.00 10.00 0.00 West Bengal 6.00 30.75 5.00 Total 220.78 381.08 206.33 *******