Parliament Question: Start-ups in India

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 588. TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 03RD FEBRUARY, 2026. START-UPS IN INDIA 588. SHRI 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 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, under various schemes and instruments during the last five years, State/UT- wise? 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 per eligibility conditions prescribed under G.S.R. notification 127 (E) dated 19th February 2019, entities are recognised as ‘startups’ under the Startup India initiative by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). As on 31st December 2025, a total of 2,07,135 entities have been recognised as startups. The State/Union Territory (UT)-wise details of entities recognised as startups by DPIIT as on 31st December 2025, is placed as Annexure-I. (b): As on 31st December 2025, of the total entities recognised as startups, 99,687 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 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) to provide 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 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. 588 FOR ANSWER ON 03.02.2026. The State/UT-wise number of entities which have been recognised as startups by DPIIT as on 31st December 2025 are as under: State/UT Number of entities recognised as startups Andaman and Nicobar Islands 89 Andhra Pradesh 3887 Arunachal Pradesh 85 Assam 2014 Bihar 4565 Chandigarh 660 Chhattisgarh 2245 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and 89 Daman and Diu Delhi 19913 Goa 773 Gujarat 17691 Haryana 10745 Himachal Pradesh 762 Jammu & Kashmir 1397 Jharkhand 1945 Karnataka 21163 Kerala 8090 Ladakh 25 Lakshadweep 3 Madhya Pradesh 6819 Maharashtra 35992 Manipur 251 Meghalaya 89 Mizoram 62 Nagaland 114 Odisha 3589 Puducherry 218 Punjab 2306 Rajasthan 7491 Sikkim 18 Tamil Nadu 13780 Telangana 11434 Tripura 191 Uttar Pradesh 20163 Uttarakhand 1709 West Bengal 6768 Total 2,07,135 *******ANNEXURE-II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 588 FOR ANSWER ON 03.02.2026. The State/UT-wise number and percentage of entities recognised as startups that have at least one-woman director/partner, as on 31st December 2025, are as under: State/UT Number of entities recognised Approximate percentage of as startups that have at least entities recognised as startups one-woman director/partner that have at least one-woman director/partner (of total entities recognized as startups) Andaman and 38 43% Nicobar Islands Andhra Pradesh 1903 49% Arunachal Pradesh 38 45% Assam 878 44% Bihar 2090 46% Chandigarh 310 47% Chhattisgarh 965 43% Dadra and Nagar 46 Haveli and Daman 52% and Diu Delhi 9782 49% Goa 366 47% Gujarat 7591 43% Haryana 5302 49% Himachal Pradesh 334 44% Jammu & Kashmir 505 36% Jharkhand 900 46% Karnataka 10053 48% Kerala 3281 41% Ladakh 8 32% Lakshadweep 1 33% Madhya Pradesh 3246 48% Maharashtra 17989 50% Manipur 115 46% Meghalaya 45 51% Mizoram 23 37% Nagaland 62 54% Odisha 1796 50% Puducherry 97 44% Punjab 1155 50% Rajasthan 3577 48% Sikkim 7 39% Tamil Nadu 6884 50% Telangana 5776 51% Tripura 77 40% Uttar Pradesh 10171 50% Uttarakhand 806 47% West Bengal 3470 51% Total 99,687 48% ********ANNEXURE-III ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (c) & (d) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 588 FOR ANSWER ON 03.02.2026. 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 and managing 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 with investors, 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. 588 FOR ANSWER ON 03.02.2026. 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 5973.4 3292 3809.2 4271.6 ********ANNEXURE-V ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (e) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 588 FOR ANSWER ON 03.02.2026. 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 - - 0.040 - - Nicobar Islands Andhra Pradesh - 1.430 4.380 3.365 3.030 Arunachal - 0.200 - - 0.100 Pradesh 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 5.905 13.185 12.670 7.835 Goa 0.700 0.850 0.380 0.780 0.570 Gujarat 1.500 7.835 14.911 10.940 6.725 Haryana 0.330 4.725 7.535 8.375 7.090 Himachal 0.100 0.250 1.890 0.700 0.440 Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir - 0.100 0.330 1.420 0.800 Jharkhand 0.650 0.300 0.550 1.525 0.670 Karnataka 6.490 23.410 23.948 20.512 15.860 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 27.670 18.115 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 3.515 Sikkim - 0.200 - - - Tamil Nadu 3.425 8.291 13.638 19.376 10.140 Telangana 1.350 10.650 11.670 10.950 7.992 Uttar Pradesh 3.155 5.453 10.010 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 27.59 112.03 176.08 165.83 109.40 ********ANNEXURE-VI ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (e) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 588 FOR ANSWER ON 03.02.2026. 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 5.30 9.70 2.00 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 25.65 25.96 3.80 Gujarat 6.50 3.00 30.27 Haryana 25.25 58.17 37.27 Jammu & Kashmir 10.00 4.35 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 11.80 20.50 0.60 Tamil Nadu 8.65 62.00 13.95 Telangana 0.30 5.17 0.00 Uttar Pradesh 18.12 20.86 13.13 Uttarakhand 0.00 10.00 0.00 West Bengal 6 30.75 5 Total 220.78 381.08 206.33 *******