Entrepreneurs provide the flight, govt only the runway: Scindia on India’s startup rise

Union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia at the India Mobile Congress 2025

India’s entrepreneurial surge is being powered by a new kind of partnership between the state and industry, one where the government “builds the runway” and entrepreneurs “provide the flight,” Union minister for communications Jyotiraditya M Scindia said on October 9.

Speaking at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi, Scindia said India’s digital and policy transformation over the last decade had created the foundation for one of the world’s most vibrant startup ecosystems — home to over 180,000 startups and more than 100 unicorns.

“The role of government is no longer that of a regulator but of a facilitator,” Scindia said. “Partnerships are now around the table, not across the table.”

How has India’s digital transformation unfolded?

Scindia said India had effectively “replicated the industrial revolution digitally” over the last 11 years, connecting 1.4 billion people through what he called the “world’s largest digital highway.”

Internet subscriptions have grown from 250 million in 2014 to 974 million today, while broadband users have jumped from 60 million to 944 million, he noted. “If you classify nations by their digitally connected population, India is now the third-largest digital nation in the world,” Scindia said.

He added that India’s digital public infrastructure — particularly UPI — had been a major enabler of inclusion and entrepreneurship. The country now records 20 billion digital transactions every month, worth nearly $3 trillion annually, accounting for 46% of all digital payments globally, the minister said. “That is true empowerment,” he added. “And from that empowerment comes entrepreneurship.”

What is driving India’s semiconductor and technology push?

Scindia highlighted the government’s Rs 76,000-crore semiconductor mission, which he said had catalysed over $10 billion in investments.

“We could not have contemplated multiple fabs being set up in India earlier — a domain previously dominated by Taiwan. Today, they stretch from the west coast of Gujarat to the east,” he said, calling it a sign of India’s maturing technological capability and self-reliance.

How is entrepreneurship expanding beyond metros?

According to Scindia, India’s startup revolution is no longer limited to its big cities. “If you look at the listed companies 20 or 40 years ago, most were based in six metros. Today, a majority of new-age firms are coming from tier-2 and tier-3 cities,” he said.

He noted that 73,000 of India’s startups are women-led, describing it as a “healthy sign” of inclusion. “Viksit Bharat 2047 will not be achieved if only 50% of the population participates,” Scindia said. “The next 22 years cannot be incremental — they must be monumental.”

What role does the government see for itself?

“The government provides the runway — but entrepreneurs provide the flight,” Scindia said, summing up his vision.

He said ministries were now working collaboratively in a “whole-of-government approach,” aiming to enable innovation instead of restricting it. “We are partners with industry, entrepreneurs, and even among ministries themselves,” he said.

Scindia called India’s transformation over the past decade a “churn of innovation,” crediting entrepreneurs for reshaping the country’s economic trajectory. “Every young Indian today wants to be an employer, not an employee,” he said. “That mindset has brought India’s entrepreneurial spirit to full bloom.”