10 years of StartUp India

Source: ANI

Subject: Government Scheme

Context: On National StartUp Day (16 January 2026), the Prime Minister of India extended greetings as India marked 10 years of the StartUp India initiative.

About 10 years of StartUp India:

What it is?

• A flagship initiative of Government of India to catalyse start up culture and build a strong, inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship.

• Implemented through a dedicated StartUp India Team under DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade).

Established in: Launched on 16 January 2016 (National StartUp Day is observed on 16 January).

• Shift India towards a job-creator economy by enabling entrepreneurs to start, sustain, and scale ventures.

• Provide full lifecycle support from ideation → incubation → funding → mentorship → scaling.

Key features of the scheme:

• 19-Point Action Plan framework to improve ease of doing business for startups and reduce friction in compliance.

• Incubation and infrastructure support through incubation centres and ecosystem-building institutions.

• IPR facilitation with simpler, faster processes for patents and related filings.

• Regulatory and compliance reforms to ease company set-up and enable faster exit mechanisms.

• Tax and policy support to encourage early-stage risk-taking and investment in innovation.

• Funding backbone via Fund of Funds for Start ups (FFS) with a ₹10,000 crore corpus managed by SIDBI to expand domestic risk capital through AIFs.

• Digital ecosystem enablers through the StartUp India Portal for discovery, networking and resources; plus helpline/email support for quick guidance.

• Mentorship and connections through platforms like MAARG and investor-connect initiatives that link startups to mentors and funders.

Significance:

• Positions start ups as engines of change—solving societal and planetary challenges while creating jobs and new markets.

• Strengthens Aatmanirbhar Bharat by enabling start ups to enter cutting-edge sectors like space and defence, supported by reforms and a more conducive business climate.

• Reflects scale and deepening inclusiveness of India’s ecosystem, with over 2 lakh DPIIT-recognised start ups (as of Dec 2025) and about half emerging from Tier-II/Tier-III cities.