Startup India turns 10: PM Narendra Modi calls for manufacturing push in next decade

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a mega event at Bharat Mandapam on January 16, 2026, to mark National Startup Day and a decade of the Startup India initiative. During his address, the Prime Minister spoke on how the programme has evolved over the past ten years, with startups now spanning sectors such as digital services, wallets and delivery platforms.

He emphasised that India has emerged as a global leader in the digital economy and is now the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. “Ten years ago, there were fewer than 500 startups in the country. Today, that number has grown to over 200,000,” Modi said. He added, “In 2014, India had only four unicorns. Today, there are nearly 125 active unicorns in India.”

As the country enters the next decade of Startup India, PM Modi announced a new mandate urging entrepreneurs to move beyond digital services and focus more on manufacturing.

“Now is the time for our startups to focus more on manufacturing. We must create new products. We must create products of the world’s best quality. We must also take the lead in technology by working on unique ideas,” he said.

Modi said this transition will help India achieve its vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. His message was clear: the coming decade must belong to manufacturing. Assuring continued government support, he said efforts would be expanded to make advanced technology more accessible to startups and to scale up sectors such as semiconductors, data centres, green hydrogen and other strategic industries.

With India having matured in the digital services space, the ecosystem now benefits from experienced founders, strong policy support and a large domestic market. This positions the country to scale further in deep-tech manufacturing, hardware and industrial innovation.

The renewed focus is expected to strengthen the “Made in India” push and accelerate the country’s Atmanirbhar Bharat ambitions.