At the Startup Mahakumbh 2025 event in New Delhi, Union Minister Piyush Goyal sparked a fiery conversation across India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by asking a hard-hitting question: "Are we happy just being delivery boys and girls?"
Goyal's remark came while comparing India's startup landscape with China's, highlighting a growing concern- India's over-reliance on gig economy models like food delivery, while China accelerates ahead with innovations in deep-tech, electric mobility, and battery technology.
He questioned whether the country's entrepreneurial ambitions were being limited to short-term, service-based apps, instead of focusing on cutting-edge innovation that could place India as a global tech leader.
"We are very proud of what India has done, but are we the best in the world yet? Not yet," Goyal said.
Despite India being the third-largest startup ecosystem, he pointed out that only around 1,000 startups operate in the deep-tech space, which he described as "disturbing."
His message was clear: India must move beyond dukaandari (shopkeeping) and embrace serious tech innovation if it wants to make a mark on the global stage.
