AHMEDABAD: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday kicked off the Startup Conclave 2025 with a fiery pitch, declaring that India’s innovation engine has roared to life under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. “From Mind to Market this conclave is a platform to turn PM Modi’s dream into reality,” Shah said, crediting the country’s youth for driving a 380% growth in startups over the past decade.
Before 2014, India’s startup landscape was a barren field with just 500 startups and four unicorns. Today, Shah revealed that the nation has 1.92 lakh startups, over 120 unicorns valued at $350 billion, and a youth workforce shifting “from job seekers to job givers.”
He urged industrialists and investors to tap into this vast reservoir of talent. “The potential of our youth is limitless. This conclave is the bridge to unlock it,” Shah asserted.
Pivoting to fiscal reforms, Shah highlighted GST as the backbone of India’s economic transformation, recalling how 16 fragmented taxes merged into one unified tax regime. “When GST began, states started with just Rs 80,000 crore.
Today, collections have skyrocketed to Rs 2 lakh crore, strengthening India’s economy,” Shah said, hailing the reform as a bridge of trust between taxpayers and the government. He underscored Modi’s pro-people tax policy, noting,
“Earlier, income up to Rs 2.5 lakh was tax-free. Today, citizens earning up to Rs 12 lakh pay no tax. When people pay honestly, the government rewards their trust.” Shah celebrated the rise of women entrepreneurs, pointing out that 48% of startups are women-led. “Matri Shakti always carries the spirit of Lakshmi Ji,” he said, citing 900 women-run startups in the Northeast driving self-reliance.
The startup boom is no longer limited to metros. Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities now account for 37% of startups, with 9,000 new ventures annually, signalling a deepening innovation wave.
These startups, Shah said, have already generated 17.9 lakh jobs, turning India into a global talent hub. He singled out Gujarat as the epicentre of India’s startup revolution, praising CM Bhupendra Patel’s team for executing Modi’s vision.