SAMRIDH Scheme Disbursed INR 94 Cr Startup Funding In 5 Years: MoS IT

Minister of State (MoS) for IT Jitin Prasada yesterday informed the Parliament that the Centre has disbursed funds worth INR 93.75 Cr to 241 startups under the Startup Accelerator of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development, and Growth (SAMRIDH) scheme in the last five years.

Under the initiative, the IT ministry (MeitY) partners with accelerators to offer incubation services and a matching funding support of up to INR 40 Lakh for selected startups. It also provides financial support of INR 2 Lakh per startup to the selected accelerators. 

In a written reply, Prasada informed the Lok Sabha that the ministry has so far onboarded 43 accelerators under the scheme, which have incubated 373 new-age tech ventures. He also noted that MeitY startup hub monitors and evaluates the performance of selected accelerators on an annual basis.

“The SAMRIDH programme, aims to accelerate around 300 startups through existing and upcoming accelerators in healthtech, edtech, agritech, consumer tech, fintech, SaaS, and sustainability. Under the SAMRIDH programme, 186 accelerators submitted expressions of interest, leading to the selection of 43 top accelerators across 16 states,” added Prasada.

In response to a separate question, MoS IT also said that the country was home to 2.07 Lakh DPIIT-registered startups at the end of December 2025. Of these, 99,687 entities had at least one woman “director” or “partner”.

The reply also noted that the Centre’s fund of funds for startups (FFS) scheme facilitated investments to the tune of INR 4,271.6 Cr in homegrown startups in 2025, up from INR 2,809 Cr in the preceding year. 

It is pertinent to note that FFS was established in 2016 to unlock domestic capital for new-age tech ventures. Under the scheme, the state-backed fund invests into alternative investment funds (AIFs), which then invest in startups. Since 2021, the fund has funneled INR 20,837.2 Cr in investment vehicles. 

As per government estimates, the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) also infused INR 109.4 Cr in selected incubators in 2025, taking the total to nearly INR 591 Cr since 2021.

The SISFS was established in April 2021 with an outlay of INR 945 Cr, to provide financial assistance to early-stage startups via incubators across multiple stages of development. 

Finally, the credit guarantee scheme for startups (CGSS) disbursed loans worth INR 206.3 Cr to new-age tech ventures in 2025. Credit to the tune of INR 808 Cr has dished out under the scheme since 2023.

CGSS enables debt funding for startups through financial institutions by offering guarantees up to a specified limit against credit instruments. 

Startups Echo In Parliament

MoS (independent charge) for science and technology also informed the Parliament that the country is currently home to 399 DPIIT-registered space tech startups. He added that seven startups have successfully launched satellites till date, while 20 ventures have successfully launched payloads so far. 

Singh also said that only two space tech startups have undertaken sub-orbital launches till date.

In response to a separate question, MoS Singh said that the Centre has so far allocated nearly INR 700 Cr towards establishing thematic hubs across the country under the National Quantum Mission. These hubs are focussed on building quantum computing, communication, sensing and materials research infrastructure.

Meanwhile, MoS for heavy industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma informed the Lok Sabha that the ministry reimbursed subsidies to the tune of INR 1,177.24 Cr to electric two-wheeler (E2W) manufacturers under the PM E-DRIVE initiative between March 1, 2024 and January 27, 2026. 

Incentives disbursed to E3W makers, including e-rickshaw, e-carts and L5 vehicle class, stood at INR 674.72 during the aforementioned period. 

“A total of 13,800 e-buses have been allocated in two phases under the PM E-DRIVE Schemes to be deployed in seven 4 Mn+ cities namely Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Surat. Tender for 10,900 e-buses under Phase I of e-buses deployment has already been concluded by CESL. Tender for selection of e-bus operators for deployment of 2,900 e-buses under Phase II of e-buses deployment has been floated…,” added Varma.

The heavy industries minister also noted that incentives totalling INR 2,319 Cr has been disbursed to original equipment manufacturers under the PLI Auto scheme as of January 26, 2026. 

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