Piyush Goyal Calls for Indian Startups to Aim Higher

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal criticized the Congress for misinterpreting his call for Indian startups to move beyond grocery delivery and ice cream making to focus on high-tech sectors. He emphasized the need for innovation in areas like machine learning and robotics to compete with international markets.

Piyush Goyal, India's Commerce and Industry Minister, has accused the Congress party of deliberately misrepresenting his comments delivered at the recent Startup Mahakumbh, where he urged Indian startups to move beyond traditional sectors such as grocery delivery to focus on cutting-edge fields like semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

Goyal's statements, initially criticized by some for comparing Indian startups to their Chinese counterparts, were aimed at encouraging budding entrepreneurs to broaden their horizons. He highlighted the significant achievements of Indian startups but stressed the importance of aspiring to be global leaders rather than settling for mediocrity.

Despite backlash from Congress and certain startups, Goyal stood firm on his comments, asserting that the startup ecosystem, buoyed by government support, is equipped and eager to achieve greater milestones. He emphasized that the initiatives should be seen within the context of long-term growth and self-reliance.

(With inputs from agencies.)