Job not limited to ‘Sarkari Naukri’, it encompasses innovation, enterprise, and start-ups: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh has hailed India’s start-up movement, which has grown steadily since its launch in 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, broadening the country’s employment horizon beyond traditional government jobs.

Speaking to Doordarshan News in an exclusive interview, Singh credited PM Modi for leading this movement and said, “It was only then that people realised a job doesn’t necessarily mean a ‘Sarkari Naukri’, but can also involve innovation, enterprise, and start-ups.”

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The minister highlighted the start-up ecosystem as a perfect example of attracting India’s talent pool, noting its growth from just 50 start-ups in 2014 to over 10,075 in 2024, with a leap in valuation from $10 billion to nearly $170 billion. He credited this to strong public-private partnerships and forward-thinking policies like Bio-E3 and the National Quantum Mission.

During the interaction, Singh reaffirmed India’s leadership in the fields of space and biotechnology, highlighting the nation’s growing global stature in science and innovation. He announced that Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, will serve as the Mission Pilot for the Axiom-4 mission, where he will conduct cutting-edge space biology experiments using indigenous biotech kits developed by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).

Further, he shared that India is steadily progressing towards establishing its own ‘Bharat Antariksh Station’ by 2035, marking a significant milestone in the country’s space ambitions. He emphasised that the world is now actively collaborating with India and recognising its scientific capabilities, a testament to the country’s rise as a trusted global science partner.

The minister also appreciated the new civil system under the current regime, which, he said, offers equal opportunity and has restored faith among the youth. To support his claim, the minister cited the example of candidates from Punjab, Haryana, and J&K featuring among the civil services toppers — a distinction that was earlier largely limited to states like Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

He cited the case of Parsanjit Kour, a young girl from Poonch, a border district in J&K, who secured All India Rank 11 in the Civil Services Exam 2022 in her very first attempt, as well as Anmol Sher Singh Bedi from Punjab, who achieved All India Rank 2 in the 2016 examination.

“This is the true essence of democracy — where every mother, regardless of her socio-economic standing, has the confidence to believe that her child can reach the top,” Singh said.