Lok Sabha Question No. 3890 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-11
Subject: Startups working in the Area of Women’s Health
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Sarmistha Sethi

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3890 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2023

## STARTUPS WORKING IN THE AREA OF WOMEN'S HEALTH

3890.  SHRIMATI SARMISTHA SETHI:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of startups working in the area of women's health; and
- (b) the details of Government policies regarding encouraging startups working in the area of women's health?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI )

(a) & (b): The Government gives utmost priority to the safety, security and empowerment of women. The Government has adopted multi-pronged approach to address the issue of women on a life-cycle continuum basis for their educational, social, economic and political empowerment so that they become equal partners in fast paced and sustainable national development. The Government has launched 'Startup India initiative' on 16th January 2016 with an aim to build a stronger ecosystem for nurturing India's startup culture that would further drive our economic growth, support entrepreneurship, and enable largescale employment opportunities including in the area of women's health. It, inter alia, assists in strengthening women entrepreneurship, through policies and initiatives, and creation of enabling networks. The details of various programs undertaken under Startup India initiative, which are gender neutral, are as under:

1. Startup India Action Plan : An Action Plan for Startup India was unveiled on 16th January  2016.  The  Action  Plan  comprises  of  19  action  items  spanning  across areas such as 'Simplification and handholding', 'Funding support and incentives' and  'Industry-academia  partnership  and  incubation'.  The  Action  Plan  laid  the foundation of Government support, schemes and incentives envisaged to create a vibrant startup ecosystem in the country.
2. Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) Scheme : The Government has established FFS with corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore, to meet the funding needs of startups. DPIIT is the monitoring agency and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the operating agency for FFS. The total corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore is envisaged to  be  provided  over  the  14th  and  15th  Finance  Commission  cycles  based  on

progress  of  the  scheme  and  availability  of  funds.  It  has  not  only  made  capital available for startups at early stage, seed stage and growth stage but also played a  catalytic  role  in  terms  of  facilitating  raising  of  domestic  capital,  reducing dependence on foreign capital and encouraging home grown and new venture capital funds.

3. Credit  Guarantee  Scheme  for  Startups  (CGSS) : The Government  has established  the  Credit  Guarantee  Scheme  for  Startups  for  providing  credit guarantees  to  loans  extended  to  DPIIT  recognized  startups  by  Scheduled Commercial Banks, NonBanking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Venture Debt Funds  (VDFs)  under  SEBI  registered  Alternative  Investment  Funds.  CGSS  is aimed at providing credit guarantee up to a specified limit against loans extended by Member Institutions (MIs) to finance eligible borrowers viz. DPIIT recognised startups.
4. Regulatory Reforms : Over 50 regulatory reforms have been undertaken by the Government since 2016 to enhance ease of doing business, ease of raising capital and reduce compliance burden for the startup ecosystem.
5. Ease  of  Procurement :  To  enable  ease  of  procurement,  Central  Ministries/ Departments are directed to relax conditions of prior turnover and prior experience in public procurement for all DPIIT recognised startups subject to meeting quality and technical specifications. Further, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Startup Runway  has  been  developed  which  is  a  dedicated  corner  for  startups  to  sell products and services directly to the Government.
6. Support  for  Intellectual  Property  Protection :  Startups  are  eligible  for  fasttracked patent application examination and disposal. The Government launched Start-ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) which facilitates the startups to file applications for patents, designs and trademarks through registered facilitators in appropriate IP offices by paying only the statutory fees. Facilitators under this Scheme are responsible for providing general advisory on different IPRs, and on protecting and promoting IPRs in other countries. The Government bears the entire fees  of  the  facilitators  for  any  number  of  patents,  trademark  or  designs,  and startups only bear the cost of the statutory fees payable. Startups are provided with an 80% rebate in filing of patents and 50% rebate in filling of trademark vis-avis other companies.
7. Self-Certification under Labour and Environmental laws : Startups are allowed to self-certify their compliance under 9 Labour and 3 Environment laws for a period of 3 to 5 years from the date of incorporation.
8. Income Tax Exemption for 3 years : Startups incorporated on or after 1st April 2016  can  apply  for  income  tax  exemption.  The  recognized  startups  that  are granted an Inter-Ministerial Board Certificate are exempted from income-tax for a period of 3 consecutive years out of 10 years since incorporation.
9. International Market Access to Indian Startups : One of the key objectives under the Startup India initiative is to help connect Indian startup ecosystem to global startup  ecosystems  through  various  engagement  models.  This  has  been  done though  international  Government  to  Government  partnerships,  participation  in international  forums  and  hosting  of  global  events.  Startup  India  has  launched bridges with over 17 countries that provides a soft-landing platform for startups from the partner nations and aid in promoting cross collaboration.
10. Faster Exit for  Startups :  The  Government has notified Startups as 'fast track firms' enabling them to wind up operations within 90 days vis-a-vis 180 days for other companies.
11. Startup India Hub : The Government launched a Startup India Online Hub on 19th June  2017  which  is  one  of  its  kind  online  platform  for  all  stakeholders  of  the entrepreneurial  ecosystem  in  India  to  discover,  connect  and  engage  with  each other.  The  Online  Hub  hosts  Startups,  Investors,  Funds,  Mentors,  Academic Institutions, Incubators, Accelerators, Corporates, Government Bodies and more.
12. Exemption for the Purpose Of Clause (VII)(b) of Sub-section (2) of Section 56 of the Act (2019) : A DPIIT recognized startup is eligible for exemption from the provisions of section 56(2)(viib) of the Income Tax Act.
13. Startup India Showcase : Startup India Showcase is an online discovery platform for the most promising startups of the country chosen through various programs for startups exhibited in a form of virtual profiles. The startups showcased on the platform have distinctly emerged as the best in their fields. These innovations span across  various  cutting-edge  sectors  such  as  Fintech,  EnterpriseTech,  Social Impact, HealthTech, EdTech, among others. These startups are solving critical problems  and  have  shown  exceptional  innovation  in  their  respective  sectors. Ecosystem  stakeholders  have  nurtured  and  supported  these  startups,  thereby validating their presence on this platform.
14. National Startup Advisory Council :  The Government in January 2020 notified constitution of the National Startup Advisory Council to advise the Government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in  the  country  to  drive  sustainable  economic  growth  and  generate  large  scale employment  opportunities.  Besides  the  ex-officio  members,  the  council  has  a number  of  non-official  members,  representing  various  stakeholders  from  the startup ecosystem.
15. Startup  India :  The  Way  Ahead:  Startup  India:  The  Way  Ahead  at  5  years celebration of Startup India was unveiled on 16th January 2021 which includes actionable plans for promotion of ease of doing business for startups, greater role of technology in executing various reforms, building capacities of stakeholders and enabling a digital Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
16. Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) : Easy availability of capital is essential for  entrepreneurs  at  the  early  stages  of  growth  of  an  enterprise.  The  capital required at this stage often presents a make-or-break situation for startups with good business ideas. The Scheme aims to provide financial assistance to startups for  proof  of  concept,  prototype  development,  product  trials,  market  entry  and commercialization. Rs. 945 crore has been sanctioned under the SISFS Scheme for period of 4 years starting from 2021-22.
17. National  Startup  Awards  (NSA) :  National  Startup  Awards  is  an  initiative  to recognize  and  reward  outstanding  startups  and  ecosystem  enablers  that  are building  innovative  products  or  solutions  and  scalable  enterprises,  with  high potential of employment generation or wealth creation, demonstrating measurable social impact. Handholding support is provided to all the finalists across various tracks  viz.  Investor  Connect,  Mentorship,  Corporate  Connect,  Government Connect, International Market Access, Regulatory Support, Startup Champions on Doordarshan and Startup India Showcase, etc.
18. States' Startup Ranking Framework (SRF) : States' Startup Ranking Framework is a unique initiative to harness strength of competitive federalism and create a flourishing startup ecosystem in the country. The major objectives of the ranking exercise  are  facilitating  states  to  identify,  learn  and  replace  good  practices, highlighting the policy intervention by states for promoting startup ecosystem and fostering competitiveness among states.
19. Startup Champions on Doordarshan : Startup Champions program on Doordarshan is a one-hour weekly program covering stories of award winning/ nationally recognised startups. It is telecasted in both Hindi and English across Doordarshan network channels.
20. Startup  India  Innovation  Week :  The  Government  organises  Startup  India Innovation  week  around  the  National  Startup  Day  i.e.,  16th  January,  with  the primary goal to bring together the country's key startups, entrepreneurs, investors, incubators, funding entities, banks, policymakers, and other national/international stakeholders to celebrate entrepreneurship and promote innovation
21. The Startup India Investor Connect Portal has been co-developed under the Startup India Initiative with SIDBI, serving as an intermediary platform that links startups  and  investors  in  order  to  help  entrepreneurs  from  various  industries, functions, stages, regions, and backgrounds in mobilizing capital. The portal has been  built  with  the  aim  to  enable  in  particular;  early-stage  startups  located anywhere in the country to showcase themselves to leading investors/ venture capital funds. Currently, 82 Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) and more than 1,900 startups have already registered on the platform.
22. National  Mentorship  Portal  (MAARG) :  In  order  to  facilitate  accessibility  to mentorship  for  startups  in  every  part  of  the  country,  the  Mentorship,  Advisory, Assistance, Resilience, and Growth (MAARG) program has been developed and launched under the Startup India Initiative.
23. ASCEND : Under ASCEND (Accelerating Startup Caliber & Entrepreneurial Drive), sensitization workshops on startups and entrepreneurship were conducted for all eight  North  Eastern  States  with  the  objective  to  capacitate  and  augment knowledge  on  key  aspects  of  entrepreneurship  and  continue  efforts  towards creating a robust startup ecosystem in these States.
24. Startup20 Engagement Group : As a result of India's belief in startup ecosystem, a  Startup20  Engagement  Group  under  India's  G20  Presidency  has  been institutionalised which is working towards harmonisation and cross collaboration amongst the largest global economies. The engagement group acts as the voice of  the  global  startup  ecosystem  bringing  together  varied  stakeholders  on  a common  platform.  The  group  aims  to  support  startups  by  enabling  synergies between  startups,  corporates,  investors,  innovation  agencies  and  other  key ecosystem stakeholders internationally and to create global synergies.
25. TIDE  2.0  Scheme :  Technology  Incubation  and  Development  of  Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0) Scheme was initiated in the year 2019 to promote tech entrepreneurship through financial and technical support to incubators engaged in supporting ICT startups using emerging technologies such as IoT, AI, Block-chain, Robotics etc. The Scheme is being implemented through 51 incubators through a three tiered structure with an overarching objective to promote incubation activities at institutes of higher learning and premier R&D organisations.
26. MeitY  Start-up  Hub  (MSH) :  A  nodal  entity  to  interconnect  deep  tech  startup infrastructure  pan  India  a  'MeitY  Start-up  Hub'  (MSH)  has  been  set  up  under Ministry  of  Electronics  &  Information  Technology  (MeitY).  MSH  is  assisting incubators and startups improving their scalability, market outreach, etc. and has also  established  partnerships  with  various  stakeholders  paving  the  way  for  an economy built on innovation and technological advancement.
27. SAMRIDH  Scheme : MeitY has also launched the 'Start-up Accelerator Programme of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development and Growth (SAMRIDH)'  in  August  2021  with  an  aim  to  support  existing  and  upcoming Accelerators  to  further  select  and  accelerate  potential  software  product  based start-ups to scale.
28. Next  Generation  Incubation  Scheme  (NGIS) :  NGIS  has  been  approved  to support  software  product  ecosystem  and  to  address  a  significant  portion  of National Policy on Software Product (NPSP) 2019. 29.Support for International Patent Protection in E&IT (SIP-EIT) Scheme: MeitY had initiated a scheme titled 'Support  for  International  Patent  Protection  in  E&IT  (SIP-EIT)  that  encourages international  patent  filing  by  Indian  MSMEs  and  startups  so  as  to  encourage innovation and recognize the value and capabilities of global IP. Reimbursement provided under the scheme is up to a maximum of Rs. 15 lakhs per invention or 50% of the total expenses incurred in filing and processing of patent application up to  grant  whichever  is  lesser.  30.North-East  Region  Entrepreneurship  &  Startup Summit (NERES): Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship organised NERES, an entrepreneurship and startup summit aimed at offering a platform to promising startups and aspiring entrepreneurs across North-East Region (NER). The objective of NERES was aimed at stirring up entrepreneurial minds across the NER states and promotes startup entrepreneurs by offering them a platform to pitch their business ideas and also addressing various challenges faced by the startups. The programme provided a platform for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs/startups to participate and showcase their business ideas and plan. It also helped them to learn more about the good practices and network with fellow startups. The programme has paved the way for startups and entrepreneur to seek support from mentors and an ecosystem that support their business growth.

Under  this  initiative,  entities  are  recognised  by  Department  of  Promotion  of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as startups as per eligibility  conditions prescribed under  GSR  Notification  127(E)  dated  19.02.2019.  As  on  30.04.2023,  DPIIT  has recognized a total of 98,119 entities as startups, wherein 9174 startups are in the area of Health and Lifesciences.

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