January 16 will be celebrated as National Startup Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Saturday, saying that this is India’s “golden era of startups” with immense growth potential in rural and semi-urban areas, as they will be the backbone of a new India.
The number of startups in the country has jumped to 60,000 from 500 five years ago, with 42 unicorns coming up last year, signifying “self-reliant and self-confident” India. The country currently has 82 unicorns, officials said, each valued in excess of $1 billion; the number is the third highest in the world. Modi had launched the Startup India movement on January 16, 2016.