Entrepreneurship has been destroyed.

“Entrepreneurship has been destroyed.”Rahul Gandhi, Chhatron Ki Goonj rally, Prayagraj, 8 August 2026

Rated False

The facts

1. The claim that India’s entrepreneurship ecosystem has gone nowhere since 2014, collapses when confronted with the numbers. From just around 350-400 startups in 2014, India has grown to 2.49 lakh+ DPIIT-recognised startups today, generating 25 lakh+ direct jobs.
2. And this is no longer just Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. Around half of recognised startups now come from Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
3. From just 4 privately held companies valued above $1 billion in 2014, India’s startup ecosystem has grown to 120+ such companies today, with a combined valuation exceeding $350 billion. This extraordinary rise reflects the transformation under the NDA into a global hub for high-value entrepreneurship.97
4. The claim that India’s small businesses have been left behind ignores the scale of formalisation underway. Over 9.16 crore MSMEs are registered on the Udyam platform, employing more than 40 crore people. With this the Modi government has transformed India’s small-business landscape from largely informal entrepreneurship into a digitally registered, credit-linked and increasingly formalised enterprise base.

Sources

• 97pib.gov.in

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