Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal asserted that there has not been a slowdown in the growth of startups in the country. In a reply in Lok Sabha, Mr. Goyal said the sustained efforts of the government under the Startup India initiative led to an increase in the number of recognized startups from 428 in 2016 to over 98 thousand as of April this year. He said the recognized startups have reportedly created over 10 lakh 34 thousand direct jobs as of April this year. He mentioned that under it, the government constantly undertakes various efforts for the development and growth of startup ecosystem in the country.