Piyush Goyal Riles Up Indian Startups with China Deep-Tech Mirror
Union Minister Piyush Goyal & Indian startups ! (Image credit X.com)
India vs China in Innovation? Piyush Goyal’s Bold Message to Indian Startups
By S Jha
New Delhi, April 6: Union Minister for Commerce Piyush Goyal riled up Indian startups with his stingy criticism. Goyal urged India’s startup ecosystem to pivot from convenience-focused services toward deep-tech innovations.
The Congress used Goyal’s remarks to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government. The Congress in short videos on social media platforms claimed that Modi’s hyped ‘Startup India’ programme is a failure.
Indian startup CEOs took to the social media platforms to defend their works. Zepto CEO Aadit Palicha in a long rebuttal argued that most of the big innovators emerged from consumer services platforms.
“Amazon was also in consumer service to emerge as a dominant player with cloud hosting innovations,” Palicha wrote on X. He was responding to Goyal lambasting mushrooming of food delivery Apps.
Instant delivery Apps have also mushroomed with critics attacking them for exploiting cheap labour. Lately, the Opposition has attacked the government for not ensuring social security coverage for Gig workers.
In recent election, political parties have come out with promises for Gig workers. The Niti Aayog in a report also claimed that the size of Gig workers is set for a major expansion. The Indian startups mostly employ the Gig workers. The think-tank projected a population of 2.3 crore Indian Gig workers by 2029.
Speaking at the Startup Mahakumbh 2025 in New Delhi, Goyal highlighted a comparative analysis between Indian and Chinese startups. Goyal spotlighted Chinese startups advancing in sectors like electric vehicles (EVs), semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics.
Goyal lamented that many Indian startups are concentrating on areas such as food delivery and quick commerce. China observers state that the Communist-ruled nation is on the cusp of fourth industrial revolution.
Chinese President Xi Jinping last month hosted a seminar with CEOs of Big Tech companies to urge them to accelerate tech-led economic advancements. Goyal also stressed that China is speeding fast with 3D manufacturing.
Goyal asked: Are we going to be happy being delivery boys and girls? (Making) fancy ice cream and cookies … is that the destiny of India?”
Goyal’s remarks riled up pro-government commentators, including Mohandas Pai, who is chairman of Aarin Capital, while also being an Infosys founder. Pai questioned the government’s role in facilitating deep-tech growth. Incidentally, DRDO, India’s defence research agency, is helming several startups.
While Indian startups have shown ‘touch me not’ reactions to Goyal’s criticism, observers state that India is far behind in the race of innovation-based economy. China is galloping while India is expanding its Gig workers’ base.
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