RAS question
According to PM Modi's 130th Mann Ki Baat, approximately how many recognised startups did India have in 2026 compared to 2016?
Correct answer: (D) From under 500 in 2016 to over 2 lakh today.
According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India had fewer than 500 recognised startups in 2016 and more than 2 lakh recognised startups by 2026.
Explanation
Startup India's first decade produced a very large expansion in recognised startups. PM Modi said India moved from fewer than 500 recognised startups in 2016 to over 2 lakh recognised entities by 2026. While marking a decade of Startup India, the Prime Minister said the mission had become a revolution, described India as the world's third-largest startup ecosystem, and contrasted fewer than 500 startups ten years earlier with more than 2 lakh today. Therefore, the correct comparison is not a modest rise to 50,000 or 1 lakh, but a jump from under 500 to over 2 lakh.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The base and current figures are both off: the cited PMO statement says fewer than 500 startups earlier, not 5,000, and more than 2 lakh today, not 50,000.
- (B) This understates the 2026 figure and overstates the 2016 base, because India moved from fewer than 500 recognised startups to more than 2 lakh.
- (C) This exaggerates both ends of the comparison, because the figures are not 10,000 and 3 lakh but fewer than 500 and over 2 lakh.
Concept
The Indian Economy syllabus covers government initiatives, entrepreneurship and innovation-led growth. RAS often asks such current-policy figures because they connect flagship schemes with measurable economic outcomes.