Participates in all 6 Reform Areas, 19 Action Points
Ovaise Gul
Srinagar, May 18: The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has emerged as an “Aspiring Leader” under the States’ Startup Ranking Framework (SRF), a flagship initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) aimed at strengthening startup ecosystems across the country.
As per the details accessed by Rising Kashmir, J&K has participated in all 6 Reform Areas and 19 Action Points under the 5th edition of States’ Startup Ecosystem Ranking, and has been positioned as an ‘Aspiring Leader’ UT in Category A.
Startup Ranking is a yearly capacity-building exercise created and released by DPIIT that evaluates all States and Union Territories on their efforts to build an ecosystem conducive to startup growth. The fifth edition of the States’ Startup Ecosystem Ranking Framework (SRF) was officially released earlier this year.
As per the Reform Area details, J&K has secured 30% in Market Access & Reach, 44% in Ecosystem Capacity Building, 21% in Infrastructure Support, 44% in Institutional Support, 50% in Focus on Innovation & Sustainability.
Meanwhile, according to the Annual Report 2025-26, Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, the States SRF accelerates efforts undertaken by the Centre and States to promote an entrepreneurial mindset across the country. Capacity building measures have also been undertaken for ecosystem enablers and innovators to promote economic growth while upholding the spirit of cooperative federalism, the report reveals.
In the 5th edition of the Ranking Exercise, Startup India organised three regional capacity building and exposure visits for officials from States and Union Territories in Gujarat, Nagaland and Kerala. The exercise witnessed the highest participation so far, with 34 out of 36 States and Union Territories taking part.
The framework focuses on key reform areas, including institutional support to ecosystem stakeholders, access to digital and physical infrastructure, funding opportunities, market access for startups, capacity building of enablers, and promotion of innovation and sustainability.
