SRINAGAR: At least 41 startups recognised under the Startup India initiative have ceased operations in Jammu and Kashmir since 2015, according to official data presented in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The disclosure was made by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in response to a question on the registration and closure of startups across the country. Nationally, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has recognised 1,97,692 startups as of October 31, 25. Of these, 6,385 entities have been categorised as closed, meaning they were either dissolved or struck off from official records, based on data provided by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Jammu and Kashmir accounts for a small fraction of these closures, but the data also highlights that the government does not maintain records on how many jobs were lost due to the shutdown of these ventures.
Among States and Union Territories, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of startup closures at 1,200, followed by Karnataka with 845, Delhi with 737, and Uttar Pradesh with 598. Southern and western States, which also host the largest number of recognised startups, dominate both ends of the spectrum, suggesting that higher closures may partly reflect larger ecosystems. In contrast, Jammu and Kashmir’s tally of 41 closures sits alongside similarly low figures in smaller or hill States such as Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
The Centre attributed startup closures to a mix of structural and market-driven factors, including weak or unviable business models, misalignment with market demand, funding constraints, and broader domestic and global economic conditions.
Crucially, the government acknowledged that data on job losses resulting from startup closures is not centrally maintained. The figures also come at a time when policymakers have been pushing startup culture in the Union Territory through incentives, incubation centres and central schemes. Yet, entrepreneurs in the region frequently cite challenges such as limited access to capital, smaller consumer markets, logistical bottlenecks and regulatory uncertainty.
