“AI, Space, Nuclear Energy, Semiconductors, Mobility, Green Hydrogen, Biotechnology, you name it, and you’ll find one Indian start-up or the other working in that sector. I salute all my young friends who are associated with one start-up or the other, or want to start one of their own,” Highlighting India’s rapid economic progress, PM Modi urged industry and start-ups to place a strong emphasis on quality.

He said the era of compromising on standards was over and India must now be known globally for top-quality products. “Be it our textiles, technology, electronics or even packaging, the connotation of an Indian product should become ‘top quality’. Let us make excellence our benchmark,” he said, reiterating his vision of “Zero Defect, Zero Effect” The Prime Minister also noted that India has emerged as the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.

Marking the 10th anniversary of the Startup India initiative, he said the ecosystem has grown from fewer than 500 start-ups in 2016 to over 2 lakh recognised entities today, driven largely by innovation and the risk-taking spirit of the youth During the programme, PM Modi announced that the India AI Impact Summit will be held next month, bringing togeth- er global technology experts. He said the summit would showcase India’s progress and achievements in artificial intel- ligence on the world stage.

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

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