'Not just local...': PM Modi wants startups to remember this mantra
2 min read . Updated: 15 Jan 2022, 03:37 PM IST
Premium- During his address, the prime minister said start-ups from India can easily reach other countries of the world
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with more than 150 startups and told to remember one mantra - Innovate for India, innovate from India.
During his address, the prime minister said start-ups from India can easily reach other countries of the world. So “don't just keep your dreams local, make them global. Remember this mantra- let's Innovate for India, innovate from India", he said.
PM Modi informed that startups of India are working with 55 separate industries and the number of startups has increased from less than 500 five years ago to more than 60 thousand today. “Our Start-ups are changing the rules of the game. That's why I believe Start-ups are going to be the backbone of new India, " he said.
Noting that 42 unicorns came up in the country last year, PM Modi said these companies worth thousands of crores are the hallmark of self-reliant and self-confident India. “Today India is rapidly moving towards hitting the century of the unicorns. I believe the golden era of India's start-ups is starting now," he added.
The PM underlined the role of empowerment by entrepreneurship in addressing the problems of development and regional-gender disparities. He mentioned that today, there is at least one startup in each of the 625 districts of the country and more than half of the startups are from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. “These are converting ideas from ordinary poor families into businesses and lakhs of young Indians are getting employment".
The Prime Minister suggested many areas where the startup ecosystem can play a major role. He said that extra space on the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan can be used for EV charging infrastructure.
Similarly, areas like defence manufacturing, chip manufacturing offer many possibilities. He dwelled on the drone sector and said that many investors have been investing in drone startups after the new drone policy.
Army, Navy and Air Force have given 500 crore rupee worth orders to drone startups. In urban planning, the Prime Minister touched upon ‘walk to work concepts’, integrated industrial estates and smart mobility as potential areas.
The Prime Minister remarked that the millennials today are the cornerstone of both the prosperity of their families and the self-reliance of the nation.
“From rural economy to Industry 4.0, both our needs and our potential are limitless. Investment on research and development related to future technology is the priority of the government today," he said.
Referring to the future prospects, the Prime Minister said that as of now only half of our population is online, therefore future possibilities are immense and he appealed to the start- ups to move towards villages also. “Whether it is mobile internet, broadband connectivity or physical connectivity, aspirations of villages are rising and rural and semi-urban areas are waiting for a new wave of expansion," he said.
