Addressing the Annual Atal Innovation Incubator Conclave "AIM SUMVAAD", here today Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh linked the "Atal Innovation Mission" with the Modi Government's thrust on innovation led growth and scalable StartUps.  In this context, he also mentioned the Budget 2026 focus on "ease of doing business".

The Minister said that the Union Budget 2026–27 provides a strong push to India’s startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem, with special emphasis on incubation, innovation, and women-led economic participation. He said the introduction of new enabling frameworks for startups, biomanufacturing and the concept of Self-Help Entrepreneurs among women reflects the government’s evolving approach towards inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Dr. Jitendra Singh was delivering the keynote address at AIM SUMVAAD, the Annual Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) Incubator Conclave, held at Bhim Auditorium, Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The conclave is the flagship annual platform of the Atal Innovation Mission, bringing together over 150 Atal Incubation Centres and Atal Community Innovation Centres from across the country, along with policymakers, industry leaders, CSR heads, mentors, and ecosystem stakeholders to deliberate on strengthening India’s innovation and incubation landscape.

The inaugural session was attended by Shri Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Prof. Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India; Shri B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog; Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology; Ms. Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative, UNDP India; and Shri Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, among others.

Speaking on the evolution of India’s innovation ecosystem, the Minister said the idea of structured innovation received decisive political support after 2014, enabling large-scale initiatives such as Atal Tinkering Labs and startup-focused policy interventions. He said nearly 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs are now operational, ensuring widespread access to innovation infrastructure across districts, including smaller towns and rural regions. He added that the growing participation of schools and non-government stakeholders reflects a deep-rooted change in mindset towards innovation.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said India’s startup journey has expanded rapidly from a few hundred startups a decade ago to over two lakh startups today, creating large-scale employment and offering alternatives to conventional salaried livelihoods. He said this shift has helped young Indians view entrepreneurship as a credible and aspirational career path.

Referring to the Union Budget 2026–27, the Minister said initiatives such as the Biomanufacturing Shakti Mission align closely with India’s strengths in biotechnology, biopharma, natural resources, and human capital. He said India is already among the leading global players in biomanufacturing, and upcoming focus areas including deep-sea resources, ocean economy and Himalayan bio-resources further expand the country’s innovation horizon.

The Minister also spoke about the National Incubator Assessment Framework, describing it as a centralized digital platform that brings together data and performance insights of incubators across the country. He said the framework will serve as a national repository, a benchmarking tool and a confidence-building mechanism, encouraging collaboration, healthy competition and capacity building among incubators and ecosystem stakeholders from the public, private and non-government sectors.

He said platforms like AIM SUMVAAD create meaningful opportunities for startups, incubators, mentors, industry, and policymakers to interact, collaborate, and identify long-term partners across diverse sectors including health, agriculture, energy, and artificial intelligence.

The Minister said the integration of startups, incubation, and women-centric economic initiatives, including the evolution from Lakhpati Didi and Self-Help Groups to Self-Help Entrepreneurs (SHE), reflects the government’s commitment to inclusive entrepreneurship, with women playing a central role in India’s innovation-led growth story.

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