The Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today said that the North East Region of India offers unexplored potential for StartUps.
Speaking as a Chief Guest at the second day “International Conference on StartUps, Sustainability, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in North East India” organised by North East Regional Research And Resource Centre Miranda House.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that North East is inherently a land of innovation.Women have always been at the forefront of the Startup culture in the North East and have been taking a leading role in the Startup ecosystem ever since it has been institutionalised by the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Minister further said that North east, Startups and women have always been the priority for the Government. North east as a region was neglected by the previous governments but now the region has been brought on par with others by Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, because of the impetus given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which began with his call for “StartUp India StandUp India” from the ramparts of Red Fort on Independence Day, the number of StartUps in India has grown to over 90,000 from about 300 to 400 in 8 years from 2014 to 2022 and there are more than 100 Unicorns.He further added that 36 out of 100 unicorns from India have women as founders or co-founders. Women have shifted from participatory to leadership roles, he added.
The Minister said that the Indian startup ecosystem stands at number 3 in the world. India ranks in the top 50 countries in the Global Innovation Index (GII) and is one of the most startup-friendly countries in the world.