Uttar Pradesh’s 25-crore population is not a challenge but its biggest strength and a huge demographic dividend if linked with skilling, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday.
The chief minister was speaking at an event at Lok Bhawan, where he handed over incentive cheques of over ₹3.42 crore to 107 startups and ₹1.79 crore to nine incubators.
He also released the UP Startup Policy 2026 booklet and launched the UP Startup Mission portal.
Several startup heads present at the event appreciated the government’s policies, cooperation and incentive system, calling it a crucial step for UP’s startup ecosystem.
Addressing the gathering, Adityanath said, “UP has the world’s most talented and energetic young workforce. It is the government’s responsibility to provide them a platform.”
“Foreign delegations, ambassadors ask me — UP has 25 crore population, so there is a big challenge before you. I tell them, the greater the challenge, the greater the possibility,” he added.
‘From 500 to 2.5 lakh startups’
The chief minister recalled the transformation over the last 10 years. “Before 2014, there were only 500 startups in the country; now the number has crossed 2.5 lakh. The startup ecosystem is giving wings to the dreams of youth,” he said.
“A similar was the situation in UP before 2017. There were a total of 120 startups then, but due to the encouragement and positive environment given by the double-engine government, the number has now risen to more than 24,000. There are eight unicorns among them,” the chief minister said.
{{/usCountry}}“A similar was the situation in UP before 2017. There were a total of 120 startups then, but due to the encouragement and positive environment given by the double-engine government, the number has now risen to more than 24,000. There are eight unicorns among them,” the chief minister said.
{{/usCountry}}‘Potholes, darkness, curfew was UP’s identity’
Recalling the pre-2017 perception, Adityanath said, “When I travelled outside the state as an MP, people looked at us with suspicion. The perception was that when you start seeing potholes on roads and darkness due to lack of electricity, understand that UP has arrived.”
“There were disturbances before festivals. Schools, colleges and markets remained closed for months. People lived under the shadow of curfew. More than 700 riots took place in five years. Discussing employment, incubators, education and innovation in UP was nothing more than a dream,” he added.
He further said, “An ecosystem for education, employment, standup, startup is created when mindset matches perception. The government should have a positive mindset. Before 2017, there was neither policy nor will. As a result, UP with unlimited possibilities became BIMARU.”
“Efforts we made in 2017, 2018-19 are now showing results. BIMARU UP before 2017 has moved from the bottom three to the top three economies. In nine years, UP’s economy, per capita income, women’s workforce participation and the number of large industries have tripled. New UP is not going to retreat, but proving itself as the fastest-emerging economy,” the chief minister said.
‘Aadhi Aabadi leading startups’
Adityanath said half of the startups are being run by women — “Aadhi Aabadi”.
The government provided funds and support to every proposal received from IIT-Kanpur, BHU, IIIT, AKTU and IIM. To encourage the startup ecosystem, the government had arranged a Fund of Funds with SIDBI in 2019, which has now been expanded under the new policy.
He called upon higher educational institutions not to remain limited to traditional courses but provide an excellent environment for innovation and R&D. The government has provided separate funds to all universities for innovation and research.
“We are operating/building more than a dozen Centres of Excellence. IIT-Kanpur wanted to establish a Centre of Excellence for MedTech and drone technology, IIT-BHU wanted to work with UP Agri, SGPGI also wanted to develop a Centre of Excellence. The government told all — wherever there is a need in emerging technology, quantum computing, space technology, drone technology, robotics, green hydrogen, the government stands ready to provide every support,” the chief minister said.
Expressing hope, the Adityanath said UP’s share by population is 1/6, but by startups it is 1/10. “Twenty per cent of India’s total startups should be in UP. We will have to prepare for this.”
“There is no problem with land or security in the state. We have overcome policy paralysis. UP has dedicated policies. Possibilities here in every sector are unmatched. If required, the amount of the Fund of Funds with SIDBI will be increased. The government will help in providing land on lease and space under the plug-and-play model, but you will have to accelerate efforts to expand the startup ecosystem,” he assured.
Finance minister Suresh Khanna, IT minister Sunil Kumar Sharma, IIDC Deepak Kumar, principal secretary Alok Kumar, and AKTU VC Prof JP Pandey were also present.