New Delhi, Feb 27 (Agency) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that the government is building an entrepreneurial ecosystem and the country rose from 500 startups in 2014 to 60,000 startups by this year. “There were only 500 start-ups in country in 2014. But this number has gone to sixty thousand this year,” he claimed adding there was no start up ecosystem in the country earlier, however the scenario changed rapidly in the last seven years. “45 new unicorns were registered in 2021 taking the number of unicorns in the country to 83, however in the first 50 days of this year 10 more unicorns have further joined them,” he added. Rajnath was speaking at the 98th Convocation of the Delhi University. Stressing on innovation, invention and ideas, he urged the youth to come forward with a clear objective to take the leadership role to innovate, to invent and establish new companies and research establishment in the country.
He said that India’s rise to power is not to scare anyone but is guided by the spirit of welfare of the whole world. Recalling the ancient times when India was the leader in science and knowledge, Raksha Mantri said that people are not aware of this glorious past because of long phase of slavery. The minister cited numerous examples of ancient scientists, scholars and sages like Aryabhatt, Barahamihir, Brahmgupt, Charak, Sushrut, Nagarjun, etc. to convey that India was numero uno in science and technology. “Zero was given to the world by India which made counting possible. Quadratic Equation was invented by the great Sridharacharya. It has been proved now that Bodhayan had found Pythogorus Theorem, 300 years before Pythogorus did. Calculus was available in the written form in Kerala over three hundred and fifty years before Newton propounded it. About one thousand years before Copernicus, Aryabhatt had proved that the Earth was round and it rotated on its axis,” he said. Underlining the significance of values in life, he said that there are numerous examples like Afzal Guru, Yakub Menon, and Osama Bin Laden to demolish the construct that lack of education and poverty were the only reasons for terrorism. He called upon youth to take the pledge to refrain from any activity that goes against the country.