Ministry of Commerce & Industry marks 9 years of Startup India Initiative | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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    Ministry of Commerce & Industry marks 9 years of Startup India Initiative

    Posted 16 Jan 2025

    2 min read

    Startup India Initiative was launched as a flagship initiative of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in 2016. 

    Key-features of Startup India Initiative

    • Objective: To catalyse startup culture and build a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in India.
    • Core Features:
      • Ease of Doing Business: Simplified compliance, self-certification, and single-window clearances.
      • Tax Benefits: Tax exemptions for 3 consecutive financial years.
      • Funding Support: ₹10,000 crore Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) supports early-stage funding.
      • Sector-Specific Policies: Like biotechnology, agriculture, and renewable energy.
    • Flagship Schemes under Startup India
      • Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS): Four-year period scheme Supporting startups in areas like proof of concept, prototype development, commercialisation etc.
      • Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS): Offers credit guarantee for loans provided to eligible startups.
      • FFS Scheme: To enhance access to domestic capital for Indian startups.

    Key Achievements

    • Increase in Startups: DPIIT-recognised startups increased from 500 (2016) to 1.59 lakh (2025).
    • Startup Ecosystem: India became third-largest startup ecosystem in the world with over 100 unicorns.
    • Employment Generation: Of over 16.6 lakh direct jobs as of October 31, 2024.
    • Women Empowerment: 73,151 recognised startups have at least one woman director.

    Other Initiatives Under Startup India

    • Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry (BHASKAR) platform launched in 2024, connects entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, policymakers, and other startup ecosystem players on a single platform.
    • MAARG mentorship platform to facilitate intelligent matchmaking between mentors and startups.
    • Startup India Hub portal serves as a comprehensive digital platform for entrepreneurial ecosystem stakeholders.
    • States’ Startup Ranking framework to strengthen regional startup ecosystems, capacity-building workshops.
    • Tags :
    • Startups
    • Startup India
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