India is transforming its business landscape through comprehensive reforms, digitalisation, and increased capital support, fostering a more resilient, self-reliant economy with record startup growth.
India’s push to make itself easier to do business in is increasingly being framed as a structural economic reform rather than a short-term policy slogan. An official factsheet released on Thursday said digital single-window clearance systems, simplified incorporation rules, broader market access, easier finance and a more trust-based regulatory approach are helping build what New Delhi describes as a more self-reliant and resilient economy.
At the centre of that effort is the National Single Window System, which now links approvals across 32 Union ministries and 34 states and gives access to more than 686 central and 7,498 state approvals. The government said the platform, launched in 2021, has cleared more than 8.29 lakh approvals. Business registration has also been streamlined through SPICe+, a web form that combines 11 services and folds in steps such as name approval, incorporation, tax numbers and social security registrations, reducing paperwork and compliance costs for new firms.
The latest figures also point to continued momentum in entrepreneurship. According to official and industry data, the number of DPIIT-recognised startups has risen sharply from 502 in 2016 to more than 2.47 lakh by August 12. Separate data on fiscal 2025-26 show the government recognised more than 55,200 startups in a single year, the highest annual total since Startup India began, bringing the overall tally to more than 2.23 lakh and supporting more than 23.36 lakh direct jobs. The figures suggest the startup programme is not just adding businesses, but also widening participation, with nearly half of recognised firms reporting at least one woman director or partner.
The reform drive is being matched by a deeper effort to widen access to capital, especially for small firms. The factsheet said Udyam registration, which is paperless and based on self-declaration, has helped lift MSME registrations on its portal from 0.1 lakh in October 2020 to more than 9.27 lakh by August 13. It also highlighted the scale of public credit support: Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana has sanctioned loans worth Rs 40.07 lakh crore since inception, while the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises has approved cumulative coverage worth Rs 13.67 lakh crore, giving lenders greater comfort to back borrowers without collateral.
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