Parliament Question: Startup India Initiative

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1446. TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 28TH JULY, 2026. STARTUP INDIA INITIATIVE 1446. SMT. MALA RAJYA LAXMI SHAH: SHRI BALABHADRA MAJHI: SHRI ALOK SHARMA: DR. RAJKUMAR SANGWAN: SHRI P C MOHAN: SHRI AMAR SHARADRAO KALE: SHRI MANOJ TIWARI: SMT. KAMALJEET SEHRAWAT: Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री (a) the total number of active startup entities officially recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in the country and the number of such startups in the country, State-wise including Lok Sabha Constituency Nabarangpur in Odisha; (b) the capacity utilisation data of central testing facilities upgraded to comply with newly notified Quality Control Orders (QCOs), and the manner in which entrepreneurs and industries are being benefited from such facilities, State- wise including Karnataka and Lok Sabha Constituency Nabarangpur; (c) whether the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) has emerged as a key source of early-stage funding support for startups across the country, if so, the details thereof and the number of startup received assistance under the scheme, State-wise including Lok Sabha Constituency Nabarangpur; (d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to promote startups, incubation facilities. entrepreneurship and innovation in the country including Lok Sabha Constituency Nabarangpur; (e) the number of Bureau of Indian Standards testing facilities available in Karnataka upgraded to comply with newly notified Quality Control Orders, and their capacity utilisation; (f) the amount of fund disbursed for startups to Karnataka under the SISFS through incubators such as C-CAMP in Bengaluru; and (g) the details of support given by the Central Government to Karnataka's own Startup Policy 2025-30 and elevate programme in furthering the objectives of the Startup India initiative?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): Startup India initiative was launched on 16th January 2016, with an intent to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation, startups and encouraging investments in the startup ecosystem of the country. As on 30th June 2026, 2,40,092 entities have been recognised as startups by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The State/Union Territory (UT)-wise details of the number of entities recognized as startups as on 30th June 2026 is placed as Annexure-I. Specifically in the State of Odisha, 4,123 entities have been recognised as startups by DPIIT as on 30th June 2026. Of these, 16 entities have been recognized as startups in Nabarangpur as on 30th June 2026. (b): The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) establishes and upgrades its laboratories for testing products covered under its Conformity Assessment Schemes only, including for products brought under Quality Control Orders (QCOs). These laboratories facilitate conformity assessment of products in accordance with the relevant Indian Standards, thereby supporting manufacturers, entrepreneurs and industries in obtaining BIS certification and ensuring compliance with applicable Quality Control Orders. The State/UT-wise list of BIS laboratories and BIS-recognised laboratories is enclosed as Annexure-II. At present, there is no BIS laboratory or BIS-recognised laboratory located in Nabarangpur district, Odisha. However, manufacturers and entrepreneurs from Nabarangpur and nearby areas may avail the services from any BIS laboratories or BIS-recognised laboratories situated in other districts/states based on the approved individual scope of testing. (c): The Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) was launched to enable financial assistance for eligible early-stage startups through incubators across India. As on 30th June 2026, 219 incubators have been selected under the Scheme and the complete corpus of Rs. 945 crore has been committed to these selected incubators. Further, the approved incubators have selected a total of 4,245 startups for support under the Scheme with a total approved funding of Rs. 706.33 crore as on 30th June 2026. The State/UT-wise details of startups supported by selected incubators under the Scheme are placed as Annexure-III. Further, specifically in the State of Odisha, approved incubators have selected a total of 166 startups for support under the Scheme with a total approved funding of Rs. 18.98 crore as on 30th June 2026. Particularly in Nabarangpur, 1 startup has been supported by selected incubator with an approved funding of Rs. 15 lakh as on 30th June 2026. (d): The Government is undertaking several measures to promote startups, incubation facilities, entrepreneurship and innovation in the country. Details of such measures are placed as Annexure-IV.(e): In the State of Karnataka, there is 1 BIS laboratory and 42 BIS recognized laboratories which are available for testing products covered under the BIS Conformity Assessment Schemes, including products brought under the Quality Control Orders (QCOs). These laboratories facilitate testing of products for conformity assessment under the Scheme based on their approved scope. However, manufacturers and entrepreneurs from the state may avail the services from any BIS laboratories or BIS-recognised laboratories based on the approved individual scope of testing situated in other states as well. (f): Specifically in the State of Karnataka, under the Startup India Seed fund Scheme (SISFS) approved incubators have selected a total of 542 startups for support under the Scheme with a total approved funding of Rs. 104.87 crore, of which Rs. 79.08 crore has been disbursed to startups as on 30th June 2026. Particularly, under SISFS, the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) has selected 13 startups for support under the Scheme with a total approved funding of Rs. 4.55 crore, of which Rs. 3.45 crore has been disbursed to startups as on 30th June 2026. Funding to startups under the Scheme is disbursed in milestone- based installments. (g): As a result of efforts under the Startup India initiative, a total of 24,026 entities have been recognized as startups by DPIIT from the State of Karnataka as on 30thJune 2026. Such startups from the State of Karnataka have generated over 2.58 lakh direct jobs as on 30th June 2026. Moreover, more than 11,400 of the recognized startups have at least one woman director/partner. Under the Startup India initiative, the Government constantly undertakes various efforts to support startups across the country including in the State of Karnataka. The flagship Schemes such as Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) support startups across sectors at various stages of their business cycle. As on 30th June 2026, Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) supported under the FFS have invested more than Rs. 8,900 crore in more than 460 startups from Karnataka. Under the SISFS, supported incubators have approved more than Rs. 100 crore to more than 540 startups from Karnataka. Under CGSS, more than 60 loans amounting to over Rs.150 crore have been guaranteed to startups from Karnataka. Similarly, the Karnataka Startup Policy 2025–2030 builds on the support provided by Startup India initiative and includes flagship programmes designed to support startups across their entire lifecycle i.e., from ideation, innovation and prototyping to incubation, commercialization, scaling and market expansion. Flagship programs like ELEVATE provide grant-in-aid up to Rs. 50 lakh to startups, with specialized tracks such as ELEVATE Aspire for regional startups, ELEVATE Shakti for women-led ventures, and ELEVATE Unnati for SC/ST entrepreneurs. The recently launched ELEVATE NxT program specifically focuses on deep tech startups, offering targeted support to ventures operating in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), biotech, and advanced technologies, thereby complementing emphasis on deep tech innovation under the Startup India initiative. *******ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1446 FOR ANSWER ON 28.07.2026. The State/UT-wise details of entities recognized as startups by DPIIT as on 30th June 2026 are as under: State/UT Number of entities recognized as startups Andaman and Nicobar Islands 108 Andhra Pradesh 4,707 Arunachal Pradesh 102 Assam 2,351 Bihar 5,527 Chandigarh 740 Chhattisgarh 2,587 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and 102 Daman and Diu Delhi 22,336 Goa 861 Gujarat 21,019 Haryana 12,482 Himachal Pradesh 898 Jammu and Kashmir 1,628 Jharkhand 2,304 Karnataka 24,026 Kerala 9,092 Ladakh 25 Lakshadweep 3 Madhya Pradesh 8,194 Maharashtra 41,440 Manipur 295 Meghalaya 106 Mizoram 78 Nagaland 131 Odisha 4,123 Puducherry 263 Punjab 2,708 Rajasthan 8,783 Sikkim 21 Tamil Nadu 15,774 Telangana 13,622 Tripura 233 Uttar Pradesh 23,678 Uttarakhand 1,970 West Bengal 7,775 ********ANNEXURE-II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1446 FOR ANSWER ON 28.07.2026. The State/UT-wise list of BIS laboratories and BIS-recognised laboratories is as follows: State / UT No. of BIS laboratories and BIS-recognised laboratories Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2 Andhra Pradesh 15 Arunachal Pradesh 1 Assam 10 Bihar 9 Chandigarh 2 Chhattisgarh 6 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and 1 Daman and Diu Delhi 77 Goa 2 Gujarat 49 Haryana 67 Himachal Pradesh 7 Jammu & Kashmir 7 Jharkhand 12 Karnataka 43 Kerala 17 Madhya Pradesh 20 Maharashtra 97 Meghalaya 1 Nagaland 1 Odisha 17 Puducherry 1 Punjab 29 Rajasthan 33 Sikkim 1 Tamil Nadu 58 Telangana 31 Tripura 2 Uttar Pradesh 102 Uttarakhand 15 West Bengal 32 *********ANNEXURE-III ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1446 FOR ANSWER ON 28.07.2026. The State/UT-wise details of startups supported by selected incubators under the Scheme as on 30th June 2026 are as under: State/UT Number of startups Funds approved to supported by selected startups by selected incubators incubators (in Rs. crore) Andaman and Nicobar Islands 1 0.040 Andhra Pradesh 99 13.965 Arunachal Pradesh 2 0.300 Assam 52 7.479 Bihar 61 10.255 Chandigarh 19 3.240 Chhattisgarh 30 3.896 Delhi 293 50.577 Goa 29 4.355 Gujarat 294 51.686 Haryana 203 34.720 Himachal Pradesh 26 4.220 Jammu and Kashmir 22 3.960 Jharkhand 22 3.945 Karnataka 542 104.869 Kerala 102 17.336 Madhya Pradesh 152 22.574 Maharashtra 665 117.318 Manipur 9 1.100 Meghalaya 3 0.340 Mizoram 9 1.800 Nagaland 34 5.070 Odisha 166 18.977 Puducherry 8 1.206 Punjab 81 14.226 Rajasthan 169 27.555 Sikkim 2 0.200 Tamil Nadu 450 69.159 Telangana 279 50.549 Uttar Pradesh 327 47.038 Uttarakhand 32 5.290 West Bengal 62 9.085 *******ANNEXURE-IV ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (d) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1446 FOR ANSWER ON 28.07.2026. 1. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) through its autonomous organizations, namely National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) has taken various initiatives to promote entrepreneurship development amongst all sections of the society. These initiatives include, Swavalambini programme, Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes (EAP), Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDP), Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyaan (PMJANMAN), Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDC) in North East Region’s Educational Institutions, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarshh Abhiyan (DAJGUA), Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana Scheme (PM SGMBY Scheme), and Capacity Building Programme for Fair Price Shop Owners. 2. Ministry of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) is implementing the Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programme (ESDP) which aims to motivate the youth/aspiring entrepreneurs to consider self-employment or entrepreneurship as one of the career options. 3. The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog fosters innovation and entrepreneurship among India’s youth through flagship programs like Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) and the Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF). Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) incubation facilities and Atal Community Innovation Centres (ACIC) are established under AIM to nurture innovative startup businesses and serve the unserved/underserved areas of the country with respect to the startup and innovation ecosystem. 4. The Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) promotes innovation and entrepreneurship across educational institutions. 5. Youth-centric initiatives have been introduced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports such as setting up of the autonomous body called Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat), the purpose of it, is to provide an over-arching institutional mechanism powered by technology for youth development and youth-led development through Experiential Learning Programs (ELPs), volunteering opportunities, mentorship programme, etc. 6. Under the Ministry of Defence the Scheme for Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) are fostering innovation and technology development in defence and aerospace by engaging startups. 7. Under the Department of Science & Technology, the Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Scheme has been approved to incentivize private sector participation in research and development (R&D). Further, DST is implementing the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among the youth. The initiative comprises NIDHI-PRAYAS (prototype grant support), NIDHI-EIR (Entrepreneur-in-Residence fellowships), NIDHIiTBI (Inclusive TBIs in Tier-II and Tier-III regions). The DST is also implementing the National Quantum Mission (NQM), under which four thematic hubs (T-Hubs) have been established.8. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has initiated the program, Mission for Advancement in Highimpact Areas (MAHA) to address priority-driven, solution-focused research in mission-mode. 9. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has established biotechnology incubation and pre-incubation centres across States & Union Territories (UTs) under the BioNEST (Bioincubators Nurturing Entrepreneurship for Scaling Technologies) and EYUVA (Encouraging Youth for Undertaking Innovative Research Activities) schemes. 10. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is undertaking initiatives such as GENESIS (Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups) Scheme, TIDE 2.0 (Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs) Scheme, and IndiaAI Mission to promote the startup ecosystem. 11. Under the Ministry of Rural Development, the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) through Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) supports Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and their family members to set-up small enterprises in the non- farm livelihoods sector. 12. The Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (DA&FW), Government of India is implementing “Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development” programme under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) from 2018-19 onwards with an objective to promote innovation and agri-entrepreneurship by providing financial support and nurturing an incubation ecosystem in the country. 13. The Government is undertaking taking various measures under the Startup India initiative. The flagship Schemes namely, Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) support startups across sectors at various stages of their business cycle. The Government also implements periodic exercises and programs including States’ Startup Ranking, National Startup Awards, Innovation Week, and TEJAS (Transforming Entrepreneurial Journeys Across States & Districts) which play an important role in the holistic development of the startup ecosystem including non-metro and rural startup ecosystems. The Government also encourages and supports ecosystem led initiatives such as Startup Mahakumbh which serve as a vibrant platform for stakeholders to network and collaborate. Initiatives to improve market access and enable public procurement also support startups in growing and scaling up their businesses. The Government has also taken various measures to enhance ease of doing business including starting up of business, raising capital, and reducing compliance burden to simplify the regulatory environment and create a conducive business environment. Activities to encourage corporates to support startups by way of mentorship, access to infrastructure, sharing resources and knowledge, assistance in market linkages, and investor connect are also undertaken. 14. To strengthen international linkages and enable global market access for Indian startups, the Government facilitated participation of startups in major international innovation platforms such as Bharat Innovates 2026 and VivaTech 2026. Bharat Innovates 2026, organised in Nice, France as part of the India–France Year of Innovation, enabled Indian startups to showcase innovations, participate in over 1,350 B2B meetings, and forge more than 50 collaborations with global partners, creating opportunities for startup acceleration, research partnerships, technology commercialisation and marketaccess. Similarly, at VivaTech 2026, where India participated as the AI Country Partner with its largest-ever delegation of over 80 deep-tech startups, Indian startups showcased innovations across emerging technology sectors and engaged with global investors, technology leaders and businesses, strengthening cross-border collaborations and expanding international market opportunities. ********