India, Jan. 14 -- The government plans to involve big private firms in hand-holding youth to encourage next-generation technopreneurs in areas such as deep tech and artificial intelligence (AI), a top government official said on Wednesday.

"When 'Startup India' initiative was launched by the Prime Minister in 2016, India had some 400 startups. Today, India has over 2 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups," the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia said ahead of the National Startup Day on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the main event.

Almost a year after coming into the power, PM Modi in his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2015 had spoken about promoting ent...