Speaking at the RISE Conclave 2026 in Bengaluru, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said that India's startup movement has emerged as a major driver of job creation, generating roughly 24 to 25 lakh jobs over the past decade. The conclave was themed "Innovation and Entrepreneurship Driven Growth for Viksit Bharat 2047". He noted that the country's startup ecosystem comprised only about 350 to 400 startups roughly ten years ago, but has now expanded to nearly 2.3 lakh enterprises, making India the world's third largest startup ecosystem and reflecting its transformation into a full-fledged innovation economy. Dr Singh credited the 2015 "Startup India" call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for laying the foundation of a vibrant entrepreneurial culture, with later reforms opening private participation in strategic sectors. He highlighted that more than 50 percent of India's startups now come from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, showing that innovation is no longer confined to metros. On aerospace, he pointed out that the country's first public-private aerospace incubation centre, mach33.aero, set up by CSIR-NAL, has completed five years and incubated 34 startups, while RISE 2026 brought together over 125 startups, many in aerospace. He also referred to progress under national missions, noting that the National Quantum Mission, launched with an eight-year plan, has achieved several milestones ahead of schedule, while the IndiaAI Mission is creating opportunities in computing infrastructure, data ecosystems and future skills. He said the path to Viksit Bharat 2047 runs through the nation's laboratories, industries and startup ecosystem.