Prime Minister Narendra Modi | Photo Credit: -

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted India's emergence as the world's third-largest startup ecosystem and asserted that the country's "express train of reforms" would continue unabated as it seeks to strengthen its innovation-driven growth model.

Addressing the inauguration of the Bharat Innovates 2026 conclave in Nice in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron, PM Modi said India had built a strong innovation ecosystem over the past decade through sustained policy support and institutional initiatives.

"Over the past 11-12 years, India has built a robust ecosystem for innovation. From patent filings to incubation networks, from Startup India to policy support, this entire journey has moved forward in mission mode. Today, India is the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world," the Prime Minister said.

He noted that India's innovation agenda extends beyond metropolitan centres and focuses on empowering grassroots innovators across the country. "But our vision is not limited to major cities alone. We have worked to take innovation to the grassroots level. Atal Tinkering Labs have been established in schools. Young people are being connected through hackathons and innovation challenges. Incubators and research institutions are being expanded across the country. And we are especially linking women innovators with a wide range of emerging technologies," he said.

Highlighting the growing role of women in India's entrepreneurial landscape, the Prime Minister said, "As a result of all these efforts, India has witnessed transformational change on a large scale. Today, from Drone Didis to becoming founders of startups, our women power is writing new success stories."

PM Modi also underscored the government's efforts to promote innovation in strategic sectors, stating that India's defence sector had been opened up to harness the energy and talent of young entrepreneurs. "To further harness the energy of our youth, India's defence sector has also been opened up for innovation. Today, hundreds of startups associated with the defence and space sectors are doing remarkable work in India," he said.

The Prime Minister further highlighted recent reforms in the nuclear energy sector, saying they had created fresh opportunities in clean energy and frontier technologies."And recently, India has undertaken important reforms in the nuclear energy sector as well. This is creating new possibilities in the areas of clean energy, advanced reactors, and frontier research," the Prime Minister added.

Emphasising the government's commitment to sustained reforms, the Prime Minister said, "This express train of reforms will not stop; it will continue to move forward. And the number of startups emerging from India will continue to multiply many times over."

Bharat Innovates 2026, jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi and French President Macron, brings together startups, investors, innovators and policymakers to explore collaboration in emerging technologies and deepen innovation partnerships between India and France.

Addressing the conclave before PM Modi, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal stated that the event serves as a platform to showcase India's thriving startup ecosystem, now boasting over 230,000 startups, as a reliable partner for global growth.

Published on June 15, 2026