North India houses over 20% startups

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 8

The startup ecosystem is taking wings in the northern region as over 20% startups recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) are based in the region.

According to data, as many as 10,190 startups have been recognised in North as on June 3. These startups are from various sectors, including IT (information technology), healthcare, education, food, agriculture, renewable energy and technology hardware.

In the region, Delhi has the highest number of startups (6,094) followed by Haryana (2,743) and Punjab (440). In Uttarakhand, 386 startups are registered with the DPIIT. The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir has 226 startups while Chandigarh has 186. Further, 117 startups are registered in Himachal.

Compared to December 2018, the DPIIT witnessed over 350% increase in registration of startups from North. The number of registered startups was 2,785 as on December 2018.

The recognised startups get benefits under a number of regulations and fiscal and infrastructural support. A startup registered with the DPIIT enjoys a simplified compliance structure, 80% reduction in cost of filing patents and tax exemptions among others.

As the southern and western regions are replete with success stories of startups, industry body CII will work with new-age businesses to foster entrepreneurship and innovation in North to improve the overall startup ecosystem.

Nationally, 50,000 startups have been recognised as on June 3. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, UP and Gujarat have the highest number of startups and 30 states and UTs have announced specific policies to support them.