Startup India is an initiative by the Government of India. As on 31st December 2025, a total of 2,07,135 entities have been recognised as startups by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) across all States/Union Territories (UTs), and such startups have generated over 21.9 lakh direct jobs. The year-wise details of recognized startups and jobs generated by such startups are placed as Annexure-I.

Under the Startup India initiative, the Government is implementing three flagship Schemes, Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) to provide funding opportunities for startups across sectors at various stages of their business cycle.

FFS has been established to catalyze venture capital investments and is operationalized by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), which provides capital to Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)-registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), which in turn invest in startups through equity and equity-linked instruments. As on 31st December 2025, supported AIFs under the Scheme have invested Rs. 25,547.98 crore in 1,371 selected startups across 29 States/UTs. The year-wise details of the amount invested in startups by AIFs supported under the FFS are placed as Annexure-II. Such supported startups have generated over 2 lakh jobs.

SISFS provides financial assistance to seed stage startups through incubators in the form of grants, convertible debentures or debt or debt-linked instruments. SISFS is implemented from 1st April 2021. As on 31st December 2025, selected incubators under the Scheme have approved funding of Rs. 590.93 crore to 3,271 startups across 32 States/UTs. Such supported startups have generated over 22,600 jobs.

CGSS is implemented for enabling debt funding to startups through eligible financial institutions by guaranteeing up to a specified limit against credit instruments. CGSS is operationalized by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) Limited and has been operationalized from 1st April 2023. As on 31st December 2025, 334 loans amounting to around Rs 808.18 crore have been guaranteed to startup borrowers under CGSS across 20 States/UTs. Such supported startups have generated over 23,700 jobs.

Impact assessment studies have been undertaken for FFS and SISFS schemes. As per impact assessments of Schemes, supported startups have reported improvement in economic areas such as revenue and employment generation. Further, capacity building of investors has been enabled, and startups from a wide variety of sectors have been supported.

Steps taken by the Government to ease regulatory compliance and provide tax benefits to startups:

For easing regulatory compliance across the country, Central Government has taken several initiatives under the flagship programme of Ease of Doing Business which includes Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP), the Business-Ready assessment, Jan Vishwas and Reducing Compliance Burden on Businesses and Citizens, and Cost of Regulation (CoR) exercise to identify and reform the areas of pain-points in terms of administrative costs for the services. Central Ministries/Departments, and States/UTs are actively engaged in self-identification exercises, successfully reducing various compliances.

Further, the Government has undertaken several initiatives, policy measures, and reforms for startups and small businesses to avail various tax related benefits. These include profit linked deductions under Section 80-IAC of the Income Tax Act 1961, deferring Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) in respect of income pertaining to Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP), relaxation for carry forward and set-off of loss, and relaxations on Goods and Services Tax (GST) for entrepreneurs located within eligible incubators, amongst others.

As per the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, general policy measures have been undertaken by the Government under GST. The details are placed as Annexure-III.

Additionally, as per the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, startups are provided with certain compliance relaxations/exemptions under the Companies Act 2013. The details are placed as Annexure-IV.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Shri Jitin Prasada, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

***

Abhishek Dayal/ Shabbir Azad/ Ishita Biswas

ANNEXURE-I

The year-wise details of recognized startups and jobs generated by such startups as on 31^st December 2025 are as follows:

Data	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
No. of entities recognized as startups	502	5473	8980	11885	14852	20282	26596	34842	34294	49429
No. of direct jobs generated (self-reported)	308	52055	100968	163694	181602	211316	274920	392181	351921	467549

ANNEXURE-II

The year-wise details of amount invested in startups by AIFs supported under the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) Scheme, as on 31st December 2025 are as follows:

Calendar Year	Amount invested in startups (in Rs. crore)
2016	0.000
2017	343.520
2018	676.842
2019	1623.555
2020	2066.888
2021	3491.006
2022	5973.741
2023	3366.478
2024	3734.869
2025	4271.080
Total	25,547.98

ANNEXURE-III

As per the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, the following general policy measures have been undertaken by the Government under GST:

1. Simplified registration scheme w.e.f. 01.11.2025 has been introduced wherein automated registration is granted within three working days for low-risk applicants and those with output tax liability up to Rs. 2.5 lakh per month on supplies to registered persons. This has helped reduce time for getting registration.
2. A scheme of quarterly return filing and monthly payment (QRMP) has been introduced wherein taxpayers with turnover up to Rs. 5 crore have an option to file returns on quarterly basis instead of monthly returns.

• iii. The refund process is electronic since 26.09.2019. Based on the recommendations of GST Council in its 56th meeting, risk-based provisional refund has been introduced for zero-rated supplies with 90% provisional refund in low-risk cases w.e.f. 01.10.2025.
• iv. Similarly to address the grievances of the taxpayers for blockage of working capital instructions have been issued vide Instruction no 06/2025-GST dated 01.10.2025 by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs to its field formations and officers to provide provisional refund on account of inverted duty structure also.

5. Section 128A has been inserted in the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, providing for waiver of interest and penalties on demand notices issued under Section 73 for fiscal years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, in cases where the taxpayer pays the full amount of tax demanded by 31.03.2025. This has helped to provide relief to taxpayers and encourage voluntary compliance and reduce litigation.

• vi. Amendment has been made in Sections 107 and 112 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, for reducing the amount of pre-deposit required for filing appeals under GST. The pre-deposit has been capped and reduced to Rs 40 crores (Rs 20 crores (CGST) and Rs 20 crores (SGST)) under the CGST Act, 2017. This would help improve access to appellate remedy for taxpayers.

ANNEXURE-IV

As per the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, startups are provided with following compliance relaxations/exemptions under the Companies Act 2013:

S. No.	Section	Subject	Provisions in the Companies Act, 2013 to support Startups
1.	Section 2(40)	Financial Statement	Requirement of cash flow statement to be part of financial statement is optional for startups.
2.	Section 73(2) clause (a) to (e)	Acceptance of deposits	Startups were exempted from procedural compliance at the time of accepting deposits from its members (such as issuance of a circular to its members showing the financial position of company, credit rating, depositing 20% of the maturing deposits, and certification regarding default in repayments).
3.	Section 92(1)	Annual Return	Directors of a startup are allowed to sign annual returns of the private limited company if the Company does not have Company Secretary.
4.	Section 173(5)	Meetings of Board	Under Companies Act, 2013, Board of Directors of a company are required to meet at least once in 120 days, 4 board meetings in a year. However, startups are exempted from holding quarterly board meetings and are allowed to hold two board meetings in a calendar year,  i.e., once every six months.
5.	Rule 6 of Companies (Incorporation) Rules, 2014	Conversion of OPCs into Public and Private Companies	The requirement that an OPC must convert itself after its paid-up capital exceeds Rs 50 lakh and its average annual turnover exceeds Rs 2 crore was omitted. Since many startups are One Person Company, this allows them to retain the status as an OPC.
6.	Rule 8(4) of Companies (Share Capital and Debenture) Rules, 2014)	Sweat Equity	In general, the issuance of sweat equity shares in a company shall not exceed 25% of the paid-up capital of the company at any time. However, in case of startups, this limit is upto 50% of its paid-up share capital.
7.	Rule 12(1)(c) of Companies (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014	Employee Stock Options (ESOPs)	In general, ESOPs are not given to employee who is a promoter or a person belonging to the promoter group and a director who either himself or through his relative or a body corporate, directly or indirectly holds more than 10% equity of the company. Startups are allowed to issue ESOPs to promoters and directors.
8.	Rule 2(1)(c) (xvii) Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014	Convertible Note	Startups can receive an amount of Rs 25 lakh or more by way of a convertible note (convertible into equity shares or repayable within a period not exceeding ten years from the date of issue) in a single tranche, from a person, and such transactions are not considered deposit.
9.	Rule 3(3) of Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014	Acceptance of deposits	Companies may ordinarily accept or renew any deposits from its members not exceeding 35% of the paid-up share capital, free reserves and securities premium account of the company. But startups have been permitted to accept  deposits from members without any restriction on the amount.

As on 8^th February 2026, 11.12 cr. children and 3.78 cr. pregnant women are registered on U-WIN portal.

After every vaccination event, beneficiaries can download the QR code-based vaccination certificate from U-WIN portal. In the year 2025, 8.01 crore beneficiaries were registered in U-WIN and the digital QR code-based certificates were made available to them.

A total of 29.42 crore SMSs including reminder SMSs were sent to the beneficiaries during the year 2025 from U-WIN portal across the Country.

U-WIN has helped in line-listing of children due for vaccination. These children are digitally mapped on the portal for regular follow-ups with SMS alerts for ensuring their due doses. These children as identified also by the front-line workers, are provided their due vaccination which is duly recorded on U-WIN platform for ensuring completion of their routine immunization.

To improve health service delivery U-WIN is presently integrated with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), POSHAN Tracker and SAFEVAC online platforms.

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

The present status of 12 new greenfield industrial cities/nodes [(i)Integrated Manufacturing Clusters (IMC), Khurpia (ii) IMC, Rajpura-Patiala (iii) Dighi Port Industrial Area (iv) Palakkad Industrial Area (v) Jodhpur Pali Marwar Industrial Area (vi) IMC, Hisar (vii) IMC, Agra (viii) IMC, Prayagraj (ix) IMC, Gaya (x) Orvakal Industrial Area (xi) Kopparthy Industrial Area (xii) Zaheerabad Industrial Area] approved in the year 2024 is as below:

• Incorporation of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for undertaking the projects: Completed for 12 projects.
• Release of funds to SPV: Equity released in 9 projects.
• Selection of Programme Manager for New Cities (PMNC) for monitoring the overall execution of the project, ensuring alignment and coordination between various stakeholders: PMNC onboarded for 09 projects.
• Selection of Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor for Design, Construction, Testing, Commissioning and Operation & Maintenance of Infrastructure Works: EPC contractors have been appointed for 9 projects, and for 1 project, evaluation has been completed and the contractor has been finalised.
• Environment clearance: Obtained for 11 projects.
• Foundation stone: Foundation stone laid for 2 projects.

As of January 2026, a total of 08 cities were successfully awarded EPC contracts for the construction of internal trunk infrastructure works. Since then EPC contract for one more project has been awarded and another one project has been finalised.

The internal trunk infrastructure including roads, water supply, sewerage and power distribution is provided as part of the development of the industrial city/node. External connectivity infrastructure—such as bulk water supply, power, telecom and roads—has been comprehensively mapped and examined on the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) portal and is provided by concerned state SPVs as per Shareholder Agreement (SHA)/State Support Agreement (SSA) conditions.

In 04 completed industrial cities (Dholera Special Investment Region, Shendra Bidkin Industrial Area, Integrated Industrial Township at Greater Noida, Integrated Industrial Township at Vikram Udyogpuri) a total of 434 domestic and global companies have been allotted plots, admeasuring 4,641 acres. The major domestic/global companies alloted plots include HYOSUNG (South Korea), NLMK (Russia), TATA Chemicals, Toyota Kirloskar (Japan), Renew Power, Coatall Films (US collaboration), Fuji Silvertech (Japanese), J-World (South Korea) and AMUL, etc. The 12 new greenfield industrial cities, approved by the Government of India in August 2024, are currently at various stages of development. Commitments from investors for these greenfield industrial cities are not yet sought.

For all the approved projects under NICDP, the comprehensive development plans include construction of adequate housing and other social infrastructure within the industrial areas.

• In accordance with the respective State Industrial Policies and national guidelines, Industrial Townships under the NICDP are planned with adequate housing and social infrastructure such as schools, healthcare etc. to ensure that workers employed in industrial areas have convenient access to nearby residences and essential services, promoting the walk-to-work concept and minimizing commuting challenges. This social infrastructure includes residential facilities for workers, with SPVs exploring models for developing affordable and worker housing within industrial townships, alongside provisions for health, education, commercial, and other essential civic amenities.
• Under this framework, 20% to 30% of the total project area is earmarked for non-industrial uses, including residential, commercial, institutional, and green spaces, to support workers’ housing, civic amenities, and social infrastructure.
• Land allotment for social infrastructure is undertaken by the concerned SPV in accordance with the approved Land Allotment Policy, which governs eligibility, land use norms, and the allotment process for residential, institutional, and civic amenities required to support the industrial area.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Shri Jitin Prasada, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

 Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) scheme, a total of 17,990 Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) have been opened across the country as on 31.12.2025. With a view to further expand the coverage of the scheme, the Government has set a target to open 25,000 JAKs by March 2027. The State-wise /Union Territory-wise and district-wise number of JAKs opened across the country is at Annexure.

 Number of steps have been taken to ensure effective and regular supply of medicines at Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs), including the following:

1. Since September 2024, stocking by JAKs of 200 commonly used medicines, consisting of the 100 top-selling medicines in the scheme product basket and 100 fast-selling medicines in the market, has been incentivised, under which JAK owners are eligible for monthly incentive based on the stocks that they maintain of these medicines.
2. An end-to-end information-technology-enabled supply chain system is in place to connect a robust supply chain system consisting of 5 warehouses and a growing network of distributors across the country.
3. In addition, with a view to ensure availability of commonly used products, 400 fast-moving products are monitored regularly by the scheme implementing agency {Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI)} and demand for the same is forecasted on an ongoing basis. Further, steps have been taken to digitise the forecasting method to augment the procurement process.

An internal committee of PMBI periodically reviews and fixes the MRP of medicines available in the Janaushadhi basket. The broad parameters while fixing the prices of medicines is as follows:

• For medicines included in the NLEM list, the prices are fixed at a rate which is at least 50% lesser than the ceiling price.
• For medicines not listed under NLEM, the prices are fixed at a rate which is at least 50% lesser than average MRP of the top 3 leading brands of the equivalent product available in the market.

Jan Aushadhi Kendras are inspected by the marketing officers of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India on surprise check basis to prevent occurrence of any malpractice.

Any person may lodge complaint regarding overcharging, quality and availability of generic medicines supplied through JAKs in the country using the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal of the Government of India, or by emailing to complaints@janaushadhi.gov.in, or calling the PMBJP helpline number 1800 180 8080.

The Janaushadhi product basket consists of 2,110 medicines and 315 medical devices and consumables and it covers major therapeutic groups including cardiovascular disease, oncology, anti-diabetic, anti-infectives, anti-allergic and gastro-intestinal medicines. The maximum retail prices (MRP) of Jan Aushadhi medicines are about 50% to 80% cheaper than those of leading branded medicines.

To promote acceptability of medicines supplied through JAKs, targeted awareness campaigns about the benefits of Janaushadhi medicines are conducted on a regular basis:

1. Awareness campaigns: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), which is the implementing agency for PMBJP conducts awareness campaigns in coordination with bodies and platforms such as the Central Bureau of Communication, PIB, MyGov and MY Bharat, in various modes such as print, television, radio, social media platforms, outdoor hoardings, community engagement, etc.
2. Interactive messages: Outreach and citizen engagement are also pursued through WhatsApp chatbot to inform citizens regarding the quality and affordability of Janaushadhi products.
3. Jan Aushadhi Week: Jan Aushadhi Week is celebrated every year in the first week of March during which special campaigns such as public rallies, health camps, seminars in pharmacy colleges, etc. are conducted across the nation to educate citizens about the benefits of Janaushadhi generic medicines.
4. Messages from eminent persons: Audio/video messages from well-known persons such as public representatives and eminent doctors are disseminated on social media platforms to highlight the benefits of Janaushadhi medicines and dispel myths associated with respect to their quality.
5. Public engagement programme in rural areas: To educate citizens in local languages/dialects, publicity is also done through health camps, nukkad-natak, audiovisual display etc. in association with local JAKs in rural areas.

Further, following concrete mechanisms are in place to ensure quality of medicines available at JAKs:

1. Supply only from WHO Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certified plants: Only plants that are certified as WHO-GMP compliant by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) are eligible for supply of Janaushadhi medicines.
2. Distribution only after 100% pre-testing of all medicine batches: Samples are drawn from 100% of batches supplied at PMBI’s warehouses for anonymised testing, and medicines are dispatched for supply to JAKs only after the quality test is passed.
3. Testing only at labs compliant with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP): Samples are tested only at labs accredited and periodically inspected by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and, in addition, assessed by PMBI for GLP compliance.

S. No.	State/UT	District	No. of JAKs opened
1	Andaman and Nicobar	Nicobar	1
2		North and Middle Andaman	2
3		South Andaman	3
4	Andhra Pradesh	Alluri Sitharama Raju	2
5		Anakapalli	7
6		Ananthapuramu	12
7		Annamayya	7
8		Bapatla	8
9		Chittoor	12
10		Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema	8
11		East Godavari	14
12		Eluru	11
13		Guntur	22
14		Kakinada	5
15		Krishna	9
16		Kurnool	20
17		Nandyal	7
18		NTR	16
19		Palnadu	11
20		Parvathipuram Manyam	3
21		Prakasam	16
22		Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore	6
23		Sri Sathya Sai	10
24		Srikakulam	9
25		Tirupati	15
26		Visakhapatnam	10
27		Vizianagaram	9
28		West Godavari	14
29		YSR Kadapa	9
30	Arunachal Pradesh	Anjaw	1
31		Changlang	3
32		Dibang Valley	1
33		East Kameng	2
34		East Siang	3
35		Kamle	1
36		Kra Daadi	2
37		Kurung Kumey	2
38		Leparada	1
39		Lohit	1
40		Longding	1
41		Lower Dibang Valley	2
42		Lower Siang	1
43		Lower Subansiri	1
44		Namsai	1
45		Pakke Kessang	1
46		Papum Pare	2
47		Shi Yomi	1
48		Siang	1
49		Tawang	1
50		Tirap	1
51		Upper Siang	1
52		Upper Subansiri	1
53		West Kameng	2
54		West Siang	1
55	Assam	Baksa	1
56		Barpeta	4
57		Biswanath	2
58		Bongaigaon	4
59		Cachar	38
60		Charaideo	2
61		Chirang	2
62		Darrang	3
63		Dhemaji	3
64		Dhubri	3
65		Dibrugarh	9
66		Dima Hasao	1
67		Goalpara	2
68		Golaghat	3
69		Hailakandi	10
70		Hojai	2
71		Jorhat	4
72		Kamrup	7
73		Kamrup Metropolitanpolitan	17
74		Karbi Anglong	2
75		Karimganj	17
76		Kokrajhar	4
77		Lakhimpur	1
78		Majuli	1
79		Morigaon	4
80		Nagaon	11
81		Nalbari	2
82		Sivasagar	2
83		Sonitpur	4
84		South Salmara-Mankachar	2
85		Tinsukia	7
86		Udalguri	2
87	Bihar	Araria	7
88		Arwal	3
89		Aurangabad	14
90		Banka	5
91		Begusarai	55
92		Bhagalpur	23
93		Bhojpur	19
94		Buxar	7
95		Darbhanga	48
96		Gaya	32
97		Gopalganj	30
98		Jamui	7
99		Jehanabad	7
100		Kaimur (Bhabua)	8
101		Katihar	10
102		Khagaria	10
103		Kishanganj	1
104		Lakhisarai	6
105		Madhepura	8
106		Madhubani	53
107		Munger	12
108		Muzaffarpur	114
109		Nalanda	13
110		Nawada	2
111		Pashchim Champaran	35
112		Patna	142
113		Purbi Champaran	85
114		Purnia	9
115		Rohtas	16
116		Saharsa	14
117		Samastipur	41
118		Saran	44
119		Sheikhpura	4
120		Sheohar	11
121		Sitamarhi	52
122		Siwan	54
123		Supaul	16
124		Vaishali	41
125	Chandigarh	Chandigarh	19
126	Chhattisgarh	Balod	8
127		Balodabazar-Bhatapara	22
128		Balrampur-Ramanujganj	6
129		Bastar	9
130		Bemetara	10
131		Bijapur	3
132		Bilaspur	20
133		Dakshin Bastar Dantewada	2
134		Dhamtari	10
135		Durg	58
136		Gariyaband	7
137		Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi	5
138		Janjgir-Champa	10
139		Jashpur	9
140		Kabirdham	7
141		Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai	7
142		Kondagaon	7
143		Korba	12
144		Koriya	3
145		Mahasamund	11
146		Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur	6
147		Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chouki	4
148		Mungeli	8
149		Narayanpur	3
150		Raigarh	12
151		Raipur	42
152		Rajnandgaon	19
153		Sakti	5
154		Sarangarh-Bilaigarh	4
155		Sukma	1
156		Surajpur	7
157		Surguja	4
158		Uttar Bastar Kanker	4
159	Delhi	Central	21
160		East	55
161		New Delhi	6
162		North	59
163		North East	60
164		North West	118
165		Shahdara	62
166		South	55
167		South East	107
168		South West	26
169		West	18
170	Goa	North Goa	8
171		South Goa	10
172	Gujarat	Ahmedabad	117
173		Amreli	16
174		Anand	21
175		Arvalli	12
176		Banas Kantha	14
177		Bharuch	14
178		Bhavnagar	23
179		Botad	10
180		Chhotaudepur	5
181		Dahod	6
182		Dangs	1
183		Devbhumi Dwarka	8
184		Gandhinagar	14
185		Gir Somnath	24
186		Jamnagar	20
187		Junagadh	24
188		Kachchh	45
189		Kheda	25
190		Mahesana	24
191		Mahisagar	7
192		Morbi	12
193		Narmada	5
194		Navsari	11
195		Panch Mahals	13
196		Patan	15
197		Porbandar	7
198		Rajkot	101
199		Sabar Kantha	22
200		Surat	117
201		Surendranagar	13
202		Tapi	6
203		Vadodara	77
204		Valsad	15
205		Vav-Tharad	4
206	Haryana	Ambala	27
207		Bhiwani	13
208		Charki Dadri	7
209		Faridabad	41
210		Fatehabad	6
211		Gurugram	73
212		Hisar	33
213		Jhajjar	27
214		Jind	12
215		Kaithal	13
216		Karnal	32
217		Kurukshetra	17
218		Mahendragarh	20
219		Nuh	5
220		Palwal	11
221		Panchkula	13
222		Panipat	15
223		Rewari	14
224		Rohtak	31
225		Sirsa	15
226		Sonipat	34
227		Yamunanagar	15
228	Himachal Pradesh	Bilaspur	4
229		Chamba	3
230		Hamirpur	8
231		Kangra	21
232		Kinnaur	1
233		Kullu	2
234		Lahaul And Spiti	1
235		Mandi	12
236		Shimla	6
237		Sirmaur	3
238		Solan	5
239		Una	8
240	Jammu and Kashmir	Anantnag	33
241		Bandipora	8
242		Baramulla	21
243		Budgam	23
244		Doda	7
245		Ganderbal	7
246		Jammu	73
247		Kathua	13
248		Kishtwar	6
249		Kulgam	15
250		Kupwara	13
251		Poonch	11
252		Pulwama	22
253		Rajouri	10
254		Ramban	8
255		Reasi	8
256		Samba	18
257		Shopian	9
258		Srinagar	37
259		Udhampur	9
260	Jharkhand	Bokaro	28
261		Chatra	2
262		Deoghar	17
263		Dhanbad	13
264		Dumka	4
265		East Singhbhum	13
266		Garhwa	2
267		Giridih	6
268		Godda	2
269		Gumla	4
270		Hazaribagh	5
271		Jamtara	3
272		Khunti	3
273		Koderma	4
274		Latehar	3
275		Lohardaga	1
276		Pakur	3
277		Palamu	8
278		Ramgarh	4
279		Ranchi	24
280		Sahebganj	4
281		Seraikela-Kharsawan	7
282		Simdega	3
283		West Singhbhum	3
284	Karnataka	Bagalkote	30
285		Ballari	30
286		Belagavi	31
287		Bengaluru Rural	40
288		Bengaluru Urban	442
289		Bidar	31
290		Chamarajanagara	13
291		Chikkaballapura	19
292		Chikkamagaluru	27
293		Chitradurga	21
294		Dakshina Kannada	142
295		Davangere	40
296		Dharwad	43
297		Gadag	18
298		Hassan	31
299		Haveri	52
300		Kalaburagi	42
301		Kodagu	19
302		Kolar	21
303		Koppal	24
304		Mandya	48
305		Mysuru	84
306		Raichur	31
307		Ramanagara	16
308		Shivamogga	44
309		Tumakuru	50
310		Udupi	78
311		Uttara Kannada	30
312		Vijayanagar	16
313		Vijayapura	53
314		Yadgir	19
315	Kerala	Alappuzha	135
316		Ernakulam	211
317		Idukki	58
318		Kannur	97
319		Kasaragod	41
320		Kollam	110
321		Kottayam	109
322		Kozhikode	150
323		Malappuram	177
324		Palakkad	168
325		Pathanamthitta	58
326		Thiruvananthapuram	168
327		Thrissur	204
328		Wayanad	28
329	Ladakh	Kargil	1
330		Leh Ladakh	2
331	Lakshadweep	Lakshadweep District	1
332	Madhya Pradesh	Agar-Malwa	5
333		Alirajpur	2
334		Anuppur	9
335		Ashoknagar	3
336		Balaghat	9
337		Barwani	9
338		Betul	10
339		Bhind	3
340		Bhopal	39
341		Burhanpur	5
342		Chhatarpur	25
343		Chhindwara	8
344		Damoh	8
345		Datia	3
346		Dewas	24
347		Dhar	16
348		Dindori	2
349		Guna	3
350		Gwalior	32
351		Harda	4
352		Indore	100
353		Jabalpur	32
354		Jhabua	4
355		Katni	9
356		Khandwa (East Nimar)	6
357		Khargone (West Nimar)	13
358		Maihar	2
359		Mandla	9
360		Mandsaur	12
361		Mauganj	3
362		Morena	6
363		Narmadapuram	8
364		Narsimhapur	11
365		Neemuch	11
366		Niwari	2
367		Pandhurna	1
368		Panna	4
369		Raisen	6
370		Rajgarh	6
371		Ratlam	23
372		Rewa	14
373		Sagar	15
374		Satna	7
375		Sehore	11
376		Seoni	6
377		Shahdol	6
378		Shajapur	9
379		Sheopur	3
380		Shivpuri	6
381		Sidhi	4
382		Singrauli	7
383		Tikamgarh	6
384		Ujjain	23
385		Umaria	3
386		Vidisha	7
387	Maharashtra	Ahilyanagar	15
388		Akola	11
389		Amravati	11
390		Beed	23
391		Bhandara	4
392		Buldhana	27
393		Chandrapur	6
394		Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar	14
395		Dharashiv	15
396		Dhule	3
397		Gadchiroli	1
398		Gondia	8
399		Hingoli	9
400		Jalgaon	13
401		Jalna	28
402		Kolhapur	22
403		Latur	46
404		Mumbai	71
405		Mumbai Suburban	20
406		Nagpur	18
407		Nanded	25
408		Nandurbar	4
409		Nashik	33
410		Palghar	33
411		Parbhani	17
412		Pune	53
413		Raigad	12
414		Ratnagiri	4
415		Sangli	28
416		Satara	18
417		Sindhudurg	3
418		Solapur	29
419		Thane	64
420		Wardha	5
421		Washim	7
422		Yavatmal	13
423	Manipur	Bishnupur	5
424		Chandel	2
425		Churachandpur	1
426		Imphal East	11
427		Imphal West	22
428		Jiribam	1
429		Kakching	3
430		Kamjong	1
431		Kangpokpi	1
432		Noney	3
433		Pherzawl	1
434		Senapati	3
435		Tamenglong	3
436		Tengnoupal	2
437		Thoubal	7
438		Ukhrul	2
439	Meghalaya	East Garo Hills	1
440		East Jaintia Hills	2
441		East Khasi Hills	6
442		Eastern West Khasi Hills	1
443		North Garo Hills	1
444		Ri Bhoi	3
445		South Garo Hills	1
446		South West Garo Hills	2
447		South West Khasi Hills	1
448		West Garo Hills	3
449		West Jaintia Hills	3
450		West Khasi Hills	1
451	Mizoram	Aizawl	5
452		Champhai	1
453		Hnahthial	3
454		Khawzawl	1
455		Kolasib	1
456		Lunglei	1
457		Mamit	1
458		Saitual	1
459		Serchhip	2
460	Nagaland	Mon	4
461		Chumoukedima	1
462		Dimapur	2
463		Kiphire	2
464		Kohima	2
465		Longleng	1
466		Mokokchung	2
467		Niuland	1
468		Peren	1
469		Phek	2
470		Shamator	1
471		Tuensang	1
472		Wokha	1
473		Zunheboto	1
474	Odisha	Anugul	16
475		Balangir	14
476		Baleshwar	75
477		Bargarh	22
478		Bhadrak	32
479		Boudh	4
480		Cuttack	142
481		Deogarh	2
482		Dhenkanal	27
483		Gajapati	2
484		Ganjam	69
485		Jagatsinghapur	44
486		Jajapur	51
487		Jharsuguda	9
488		Kalahandi	4
489		Kandhamal	3
490		Kendrapara	41
491		Kendujhar	15
492		Khordha	109
493		Koraput	3
494		Malkangiri	2
495		Mayurbhanj	13
496		Nabarangpur	4
497		Nayagarh	13
498		Nuapada	1
499		Puri	34
500		Rayagada	5
501		Sambalpur	19
502		Sonepur	11
503		Sundargarh	17
504	Puducherry	Karaikal	5
505		Puducherry	28
506	Punjab	Amritsar	23
507		Barnala	13
508		Bathinda	45
509		Faridkot	9
510		Fatehgarh Sahib	11
511		Fazilka	11
512		Ferozepur	10
513		Gurdaspur	13
514		Hoshiarpur	17
515		Jalandhar	45
516		Kapurthala	14
517		Ludhiana	107
518		Malerkotla	4
519		Mansa	13
520		Moga	15
521		Pathankot	30
522		Patiala	71
523		Rupnagar	10
524		S.A.S Nagar	28
525		Sangrur	16
526		Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar	6
527		Sri Muktsar Sahib	16
528		Tarn Taran	5
529	Rajasthan	Ajmer	10
530		Alwar	28
531		Balotra	6
532		Banswara	1
533		Baran	4
534		Barmer	8
535		Beawar	2
536		Bharatpur	8
537		Bhilwara	12
538		Bikaner	9
539		Bundi	4
540		Chittorgarh	8
541		Churu	15
542		Dausa	12
543		Deeg	3
544		Dholpur	4
545		Didwana-Kuchaman	17
546		Dungarpur	3
547		Ganganagar	17
548		Hanumangarh	24
549		Jaipur	203
550		Jaisalmer	3
551		Jalore	13
552		Jhalawar	2
553		Jhunjhunu	28
554		Jodhpur	35
555		Karauli	10
556		Khairthal-Tijara	5
557		Kota	15
558		Kotputli-Behror	10
559		Nagaur	23
560		Pali	9
561		Phalodi	5
562		Pratapgarh	2
563		Rajsamand	6
564		Salumbar	2
565		Sawai Madhopur	13
566		Sikar	24
567		Sirohi	6
568		Tonk	13
569		Udaipur	10
570	Sikkim	Gangtok	4
571		Gyalshing	2
572		Mangan	1
573		Namchi	5
574		Pakyong	3
575	Tamil Nadu	Ariyalur	8
576		Chengalpattu	65
577		Chennai	211
578		Coimbatore	99
579		Cuddalore	37
580		Dharmapuri	26
581		Dindigul	41
582		Erode	52
583		Kallakurichi	13
584		Kancheepuram	26
585		Kanniyakumari	96
586		Karur	20
587		Krishnagiri	25
588		Madurai	79
589		Mayiladuthurai	19
590		Nagapattinam	26
591		Namakkal	26
592		Perambalur	9
593		Pudukkottai	30
594		Ramanathapuram	14
595		Ranipet	17
596		Salem	56
597		Sivaganga	18
598		Tenkasi	21
599		Thanjavur	64
600		The Nilgiris	11
601		Theni	27
602		Thiruvallur	61
603		Thiruvarur	34
604		Thoothukkudi	19
605		Tiruchirappalli	73
606		Tirunelveli	41
607		Tirupathur	11
608		Tiruppur	43
609		Tiruvannamalai	16
610		Vellore	42
611		Viluppuram	15
612		Virudhunagar	24
613	Telangana	Adilabad	11
614		Bhadradri Kothagudem	3
615		Hanumakonda	5
616		Hyderabad	22
617		Jagtial	14
618		Jangaon	8
619		Jayashankar Bhupalapally	2
620		Jogulamba Gadwal	3
621		Kamareddy	1
622		Karimnagar	3
623		Khammam	3
624		Kumuram Bheem Asifabad	4
625		Mahabubabad	3
626		Mahabubnagar	7
627		Mancherial	7
628		Medak	1
629		Medchal Malkajgiri	34
630		Mulugu	3
631		Nagarkurnool	2
632		Nalgonda	2
633		Narayanpet	1
634		Nirmal	4
635		Nizamabad	13
636		Peddapalli	4
637		Rajanna Sircilla	1
638		Ranga Reddy	19
639		Sangareddy	6
640		Siddipet	3
641		Suryapet	3
642		Vikarabad	6
643		Wanaparthy	4
644		Warangal	7
645		Yadadri Bhuvanagiri	3
646	The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu	Dadra And Nagar Haveli	21
647		Daman	16
648		Diu	3
649	Tripura	Dhalai	3
650		Gomati	2
651		Khowai	2
652		North Tripura	4
653		Sepahijala	4
654		South Tripura	4
655		Unakoti	4
656		West Tripura	10
657	Uttar Pradesh	Agra	108
658		Aligarh	55
659		Ambedkar Nagar	30
660		Amethi	27
661		Amroha	27
662		Auraiya	13
663		Ayodhya	44
664		Azamgarh	64
665		Baghpat	25
666		Bahraich	31
667		Ballia	53
668		Balrampur	24
669		Banda	27
670		Barabanki	71
671		Bareilly	60
672		Basti	34
673		Bhadohi	21
674		Bijnor	15
675		Budaun	41
676		Bulandshahr	59
677		Chandauli	35
678		Chitrakoot	14
679		Deoria	136
680		Etah	26
681		Etawah	24
682		Farrukhabad	19
683		Fatehpur	35
684		Firozabad	26
685		Gautam Buddha Nagar	108
686		Ghaziabad	128
687		Ghazipur	58
688		Gonda	41
689		Gorakhpur	165
690		Hamirpur	16
691		Hapur	31
692		Hardoi	56
693		Hathras	17
694		Jalaun	33
695		Jaunpur	32
696		Jhansi	49
697		Kannauj	28
698		Kanpur Dehat	22
699		Kanpur Nagar	111
700		Kasganj	15
701		Kaushambi	13
702		Kheri	80
703		Kushinagar	86
704		Lalitpur	12
705		Lucknow	286
706		Mahoba	13
707		Mahrajganj	74
708		Mainpuri	33
709		Mathura	40
710		Mau	40
711		Meerut	145
712		Mirzapur	26
713		Moradabad	38
714		Muzaffarnagar	69
715		Pilibhit	26
716		Pratapgarh	48
717		Prayagraj	101
718		Rae Bareli	36
719		Rampur	42
720		Saharanpur	103
721	Sambhal	22
722	Sant Kabir Nagar	21
723	Shahjahanpur	42
724	Shamli	22
725	Shravasti	6
726	Siddharthnagar	40
727	Sitapur	76
728	Sonbhadra	29
729	Sultanpur	48
730	Unnao	27
731	Varanasi	107
732	Uttarakhand	Almora	11
733		Bageshwar	5
734		Chamoli	5
735		Champawat	8
736		Dehradun	86
737		Haridwar	69
738		Nainital	61
739		Pauri Garhwal	13
740		Pithoragarh	7
741		Rudra Prayag	4
742		Tehri Garhwal	9
743		Udham Singh Nagar	31
744		Uttarkashi	10
745	West Bengal	Alipurduar	5
746		Bankura	34
747		Birbhum	8
748		Cooch Behar	14
749		Dakshin Dinajpur	2
750		Darjeeling	16
751		Hooghly	98
752		Howrah	94
753		Jalpaiguri	16
754		Jhargram	3
755		Kalimpong	1
756		Kolkata	118
757		Malda	12
758		Murshidabad	15
759		Nadia	22
760		North 24 Parganas	176
761		Paschim Bardhaman	49
762		Paschim Medinipur	33
763		Purba Bardhaman	40
764		Purba Medinipur	35
765		Purulia	10
766		South 24 Parganas	51
767		Uttar Dinajpur	6
Total			17,990

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

During the last five years (i.e. April 2020 to January 2026), approximately 35.69 crore Ayushman cards have been created under Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). The State/UT-wise details of Ayushman cards created under the scheme can be accessed at: https://dashboard.nha.gov.in/public/card

As on 31.01.2026, 5.77 crore hospital admissions amounting to Rs. 1.15 lakh crore have been authorized for private hospitals, under the scheme.

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri. Prataprao Jadhav stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

The Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, in collaboration with the School of Law, Bennett University, organised the 3^rd CTIL–Bennett International Moot Court Competition 2026 from 6–8 February 2026 at Greater Noida under the aegis of the WTO Chairs Programme.

The three-day international moot court competition served as an academic platform for law students to engage with contemporary issues in international trade law and labour standards. Teams from universities across India and abroad participated in the competition. The rounds were evaluated by experts drawn from the legal profession, academia and policy institutions.

The moot proposition focused on issues relating to alleged violations of labour standards and occupational safety obligations under a Free Trade Agreement, following an industrial accident and subsequent regulatory developments.

Judge, Supreme Court of India, Justice Rajesh Bindal, addressed the inaugural session and underscored the importance of constitutional values, judicial reasoning and the role of legal institutions in upholding the rule of law. Vice Chancellor, Bennett University, Dr. Raj Singh, spoke on the role of universities in advancing policy-oriented legal education. Speakers also highlighted the importance of WTO law moots in capacity building and strengthening understanding of international trade governance. Academic publications were also released during the programme.

Judge, Supreme Court of India, Justice Pankaj Mithal, addressed the valedictory session and emphasised the role of legal education in strengthening justice delivery systems, highlighting constitutional principles, judicial integrity and professional responsibility. The valedictory session also included the announcement of results and presentation of awards recognising excellence in research, advocacy and overall performance.

The competition reaffirmed the role of academic and policy institutions in promoting advanced study and practical engagement in international trade law and global economic governance.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mandated to lay down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

The implementation and enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 is a shared responsibility between the Central and State Governments. While FSSAI, is responsible for laying down science-based standards and ensuring overall coordination, the State Food Safety Authorities are primarily responsible for enforcement at the field level.

To ensure compliance with the set standards, limits, & other statutory requirements under the Act and regulations made thereunder, FSSAI, through its 4 (four) Regional Offices and State/UT food safety authorities conducts regular localized/targeted special enforcement and surveillance drives, inspections and sampling activities for various food products including milk and milk products throughout the year. If any deviations from the standards or violations to the Food Safety and Standards Regulation (FSSR) are observed, the defaulting Food Business Operators (FBOs) are subjected to regulatory actions, including punitive measures, as stipulated under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006 and regulations made thereunder.

FSSAI is organising Central Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings at regular intervals to facilitate focused deliberations on emerging issues, policy reforms, and strengthening of food safety implementation mechanisms. Through meetings of the Central Advisory Committee, regular engagements are held with State Food Safety Commissioners to review the status of enforcement machinery and to ensure the proper implementation of food safety measures.

Details of the action taken against the defaulting FBOs for milk and milk products for non-compliance in the FY 2024-25 is as under:-

Financial Year	No of Sample Analysed	No. of samples found Non-Conforming	No of Cases Launched
2024-25	33405	12780	12,057

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri. Prataprao Jadhav stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) scheme, a total of 474 Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) have been opened in the State of Haryana as on 31.12.2025, of which 35 JAKs opened in Hisar Parliamentary Constituency and 45 JAKs opened in Sonipat Parliamentary Constituency.

The details of the approved and opened Jan Aushadhi Kendra in last three financial years in Hisar and Sonipat Parliamentary Constituencies are as under:-

S. No.	Financial Year	Hisar Parliamentary Constituency	Sonipat Parliamentary Constituency
		No. of JAKs opened	No. of JAKs opened
1.	2022-23	16	5
2.	2023-24	11	8
3.	2024-25	8	14

Under the scheme, a one-time special incentive of ₹2 lakh for setting up JAK is given for JAKs opened in the North-Eastern States, Himalayan areas, island territories and backward areas notified as Aspirational Districts by NITI Aayog, and to those JAKs that are opened by entrepreneurs of certain eligible categories, including ex-servicemen, divyangjan and members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The JAKs are opened by inviting applications from individual entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations, societies, trusts, firms, private companies, etc. Online applications have been invited from all districts of the country including the said parliamentary constituency through the website www.janaushadhi.gov.in.

Number of steps have been taken to ensure effective and regular supply of medicines at Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs), including the following:

1. Since September 2024, stocking by JAKs of 200 commonly used medicines, consisting of the 100 top-selling medicines in the scheme product basket and 100 fast-selling medicines in the market, has been incentivised, under which JAK owners are eligible for monthly incentive based on the stocks that they maintain of these medicines.
2. An end-to-end information-technology-enabled supply chain system is in place to connect a robust supply chain system consisting of 5 warehouses and a growing network of distributors across the country.
3. In addition, with a view to ensure availability of commonly used products, 400 fast-moving products are monitored regularly by the scheme implementing agency {Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI)} and demand for the same is forecasted on an ongoing basis. Further, steps have been taken to digitise the forecasting method to augment the procurement process.

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

An economic evaluation published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research has demonstrated that shorter, six-month all-oral treatment regimens for multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) are cost-effective and offer improved health outcomes compared to the currently used longer regimens in India.

The study was conducted by ICMR–National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (ICMR-NIRT). It assessed the cost-effectiveness of bedaquiline-based regimens—BPaL (bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid) and BPaLM (with moxifloxacin)—in comparison with the existing bedaquiline-containing shorter (9–11 months) and longer (18–20 months) treatment regimens used under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).

The analysis revealed that the BPaL regimen is both more effective and cost-saving. For each additional Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) gained, the health system spends INR 379 less per patient compared to the standard regimen, indicating better health outcomes at lower costs.The BPaLM regimen was also found to be highly cost-effective, with an additional expenditure of only INR 37 per patient per additional QALY gained compared to the standard regimen. Both regimens were associated with lower or comparable overall healthcare costs, including medicines, hospital visits, and follow-up care.

MDR/RR-TB poses significant treatment challenges due to prolonged treatment duration, adverse effects, and higher costs. Shorter all-oral regimens can improve treatment adherence, reduce patient morbidity, and enable faster return to normal life, while also lowering the burden on the health system. The findings provide important economic evidence to support the use of shorter, all-oral regimens for MDR/RR-TB management in India. By reducing treatment duration from 9–18 months or longer to six months, these regimens align with national priorities to optimise resource utilisation and accelerate progress towards TB elimination.

The study concludes that BPaL-based regimens are likely to be cost-saving or highly cost-effective and may be considered for programmatic adoption under the NTEP to strengthen India’s response to drug-resistant TB. The full study can be accessed at: https://ijmr.org.in/cost-effectiveness.pdf

Geneva, 11 February 2026 —The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to accelerate efforts to ensure that millions of people living with cataract can access simple, sight restoring surgery—one of the most effective and affordable interventions to prevent avoidable blindness.

A new study published today in The Lancet Global Health  highlights the scale of the challenge: nearly half of all people across the world facing cataract related blindness still need access to surgery. 

Cataract--the clouding of the eye’s lens that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness--affects more than 94 million people globally. Cataract surgery--a simple 15-minute procedure--is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight.

Over the past two decades, global coverage of cataract surgery has increased by about 15%, even as ageing populations and rising cataract cases have increased overall demand. The latest modelling predicts the coverage for cataract surgery to rise by about 8.4% for this decade. However, progress needs to accelerate sharply to meet the World Health Assembly target of a 30% increase by 2030. 

 “Cataract surgery is one of the most powerful tools we have to restore vision and transform lives,” said Dévora Kestel, Director a.i., WHO Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. “When people regain their sight, they regain independence, dignity, and opportunity.” 

The study, which analyzed reports from 68 country estimates for 2023 and 2024 shows that the African Region faces the greatest gap, with three in four people who need cataract surgery remaining untreated. Women are disproportionately affected across all regions, consistently experiencing lower access to care than men.

These gaps reflect long-standing structural barriers, including shortages and unequal distribution of trained eye-care professionals, high out-of-pocket costs, long waiting times, and limited awareness or demand for surgery, even where services exist.

In addition, while age is the primary risk factor for cataract, other contributors such as prolonged UV-B exposure, tobacco use, corticosteroid use, and diabetes can accelerate its development. 

Solutions for closing the gap

Ending unnecessary blindness from cataract is essential and achievable. Countries can accelerate progress by integrating vision screening and eye examinations into primary health care, investing in essential surgical infrastructure, and expanding and better distributing the eye-care workforce, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Targeted efforts to prioritize women and marginalized communities will be critical to reducing persistent inequities and ensuring that gains in access benefit everyone.

WHO is calling on governments, civil society, and partners to build on existing momentum, address gender and geographic inequities, and prioritize underserved populations. With sustained commitment, cataract surgery can move from being out of reach for millions to a universally accessible intervention, helping to end avoidable blindness worldwide.