Lucknow, Aug. 27 -- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday launched the Uttar Pradesh Startup Mission portal and Startup Policy-2026, saying the state now has more than 24,000 startups, including eight unicorns.
At the event, incentives worth over Rs 3.42 crore were distributed among 107 startups, while nine incubators received Rs 1.79 crore. Recognition certificates were also presented to new incubators.
Adityanath said the initiatives were aimed at providing young entrepreneurs with funding, incubation support and platforms to develop and expand their businesses.
"We have gathered here to give a flight to the dreams of the youth of Uttar Pradesh," he said.
He said India's startup ecosystem had grown from around 500 startups before 2014 to more than 2.5 lakh now. In Uttar Pradesh, the number rose from 120 before 2017 to over 24,000, including eight unicorns, he said.
Adityanath said startups were also changing the perception of the state. Recalling the pre-2017 period, he said Uttar Pradesh was associated with poor roads, prolonged closures, stone-pelting and curfews.
He said more than 700 major riots had occurred in the five years before 2017, making discussions on employment, education and innovation "a dream".
The CM described the state's population of around 25 crore as a demographic dividend, saying the government had a responsibility to create opportunities for its young workforce.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.