GUWAHATI: Assam has emerged as the leading state in the Northeast in terms of startup registrations under the Centre’s Startup India initiative.
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In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for DoNER Sukanta Majumdar said that as of 31 December, 2024, Assam had 1,487 startups recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the highest among the eight northeastern states. It was followed by Manipur with 179 startups and Tripura with 141.
Other states in the region recorded significantly lower numbers, with Meghalaya registering 62 startups, Nagaland 85, Arunachal Pradesh 47, Mizoram 41, and Sikkim 12. In total, the northeastern region had 2,054 recognised startups under the initiative.
The government has been actively fostering an environment for startup growth and innovation through various schemes. The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi), a non-banking financial company under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, has also been supporting first-generation entrepreneurs through the North East Enterprise Development Scheme (NEEDS).