Lucknow, 27 Aug (HS): “In the double-engine government, the

'new Uttar Pradesh' of 'New India' is establishing itself as the

fastest-growing economy in the country. Today, to give a new flight to the

dreams of the youth of the state, in the program organized in Lucknow, an

amount of more than Rs. 3.42 crore was distributed to 107 startups under the

Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy and Rs. 1.79 crore to 9 incubators as incentive

funds. On this occasion, the booklet 'Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy 2026' was

released and the 'Uttar Pradesh Startup Mission Portal' was inaugurated. Along

with this, recognition certificates were distributed to new incubators and the

startups of the state selected in India Innovates were also honored. There is

full confidence that, together with the double-engine government, all of you

will contribute to providing Uttar Pradesh with an excellent platform for

investment and employment. Heartiest congratulations to all the beneficiaries

and entrepreneurs,” remarked UP CM in a post on X.

The Chief Minister was addressing young entrepreneurs and

industry representatives at Lok Bhavan on Thursday after distributing

incentives worth over Rs 3.42 crore to 107 startups and Rs 1.79 crore to nine

incubators under the Startup Policy. On this occasion, he also released the

Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy 2026 booklet and launched the Uttar Pradesh

Startup Mission Portal. During this, UP's startup ecosystem was introduced

through a short film.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Uttar Pradesh has

the world's most talented and energetic young workforce. It is the government's

responsibility to provide them with a platform. Ambassadors and high

commissioners, along with foreign delegations, ask me why Uttar Pradesh's

population exceeds 250 million, so you face a significant challenge. I tell

them that the greater the challenge, the greater the potential. We consider

Uttar Pradesh's population, which people call a challenge, a demographic

dividend. By linking its scale to skilling, we can utilize it as a demographic

dividend.

Before 2014, there were 500 startups in the country, now there

are more than 2.5 lakh: Chief Minister Yogi discussed the startup ecosystem in

India before and after 2014. He stated that India is witnessing a profound

transformation. Before 2014, there were only 500 startups in the country; now,

their number exceeds 250,000. The startup ecosystem is now accelerating the

dreams of India's youth. Before 2017, Uttar Pradesh experienced a similar

situation. At that time, there were only 120 startups, but thanks to the

encouragement and positive environment of the double-engine government, their

number has now increased to over 24,000, including eight unicorns. Under Uttar

Pradesh's Startup Policy, 107 startups and nine incubators are receiving

encouragement on this occasion. Twelve new incubators are also being recognized

under the UP Startup Policy.

Discussion of employment, incubators, education, innovation

since 2017 is a dream coming true: The Chief Minister said that he had visited

several startups of Bharat Innovates. Through their work, they

played a significant role in changing the identity and perception of Uttar

Pradesh. He added that as an MP, he also felt that people looked at him with

suspicion when he traveled outside the state. The perception was that wherever

roads became potholed and electricity became dark, he had arrived in Uttar

Pradesh. Riots would erupt before festivals. Schools, colleges, and markets

remained closed for months. The public was forced to live under the shadow of

curfews. At that time, more than 700 riots occurred in five years. In those circumstances,

discussing employment, incubators, education, and innovation within Uttar

Pradesh was a pipe dream.

The state had become 'BIMARU' due to the government's

indifference: Yogi said that an ecosystem for education, employment, stand-ups,

startups, incubators, etc. is created when the public's mindset is aligned with

the concept. We must be mentally prepared to create a conducive environment.

The government should have a positive mindset and connect with the public, but

before 2017, there was neither policy nor government will. People were forced

to live in a strange environment, resulting in Uttar Pradesh, once a state with

endless possibilities, becoming BIMARU.

The Chief Minister said that half of the startups are run by

half the population. The government has provided funding and

support to encourage every proposal from IIT Kanpur, BHU, IIIT, AKTU, and IIMs.

He said that under the new policy, we have recently expanded this

significantly. The Chief Minister called on higher education institutions not

to limit themselves to traditional curricula, but to provide an optimal

environment for innovation and R&D within universities and institutes. The

government has allocated separate funding to all universities to encourage

innovation and research activities. This aims to further enhance the image of

Uttar Pradesh.

The 'New UP' is not going to back down: Yogi said that the

positive results of the efforts we made in 2017 and 2018-19 are now visible.

The pre-2017 BIMARU UP has risen from the bottom three to the top

three economies in the country. In nine years, Uttar Pradesh's economy, per

capita income, female workforce participation, and the number of large industries

have tripled. New UP is not going to retreat, but is proving itself as

the fastest-growing economy.

The government will be with you at every step: He said that

IIT Kanpur wanted to establish a Center of Excellence for medtech and drone

technology, IIT BHU wanted to work with UPAGRIZ, and SGPGI also wanted to

develop a Center of Excellence. The government told all of them that it stands

ready to provide support wherever needed in areas such as emerging

technologies, quantum computing, space technology, drone technology, robotics,

green hydrogen, etc. We are operating/building more than a dozen Centers of

Excellence.

UP's presence in the startup ecosystem should be recorded

according to its population: The Chief Minister expressed hope that Uttar

Pradesh's presence in the startup ecosystem should be visible, commensurate

with its population. Uttar Pradesh's share of India's population is 1/6, while

its share of startups is 1/10th. This means that Uttar Pradesh should have 20

percent of India's total startups. Preparations are needed for this. The Chief

Minister called on all startups, including those developing Centers of

Excellence in the field of deeptech, to come forward to accelerate the

ecosystem and fuel the dreams of youth.

He stated that land and security are not problems in Uttar

Pradesh. We have overcome policy paralysis. Uttar Pradesh has dedicated

policies. The potential here in every sector is unmatched anywhere else in the

country or the world. The Chief Minister expressed hope that, together with the

double-engine government, you will cooperate in providing Uttar Pradesh with

the best platform. He assured that the Uttar Pradesh government will encourage

every step in the interest of the youth and will provide all possible assistance

in growing the startup ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh.

Finance Minister Suresh Khanna, Electronics and Information

Technology Minister Sunil Kumar Sharma, Infrastructure and Industrial

Development Commissioner Deepak Kumar, Principal Secretary Alok Kumar, AKTU

Vice Chancellor Prof. JP Pandey etc. were present on the occasion.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi