India will not bow to US tariffs, on course to become the world’s third-largest economy in 2 yrs: Khattar at Launch of ‘Campus Tank Punjab’
Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday launched ‘Campus Tank Punjab’ — a Chandigarh University’s start-up launchpad designed to empower young innovators with a dedicated funding pool of US$ 6 million. The initiative, in collaboration with Apna and Venture Catalysts, aims to support students under 30 with seed capital and mentoring them to transform ideas into high-impact ventures.
Speaking at the inauguration, Khattar said, “Campus Tank is a big achievement as it will benefit students of 23,000 AICTE-affiliated institutions. Already 19,000 start-ups have registered. US$ 6 million funding will be available for 300 shortlisted start-ups”.
Highlighting India’s economic resilience, Khattar added, “We should not bow before US tariff threats. Our economy of $4.19 trillion is set to surpass Germany’s $4.52 trillion within a year. At 7.8 per cent growth, India will become the world’s third-largest economy with a $5 trillion GDP in two years”.
He emphasised startups as the backbone of a “Viksit Bharat by 2047”, noting that India now has 1.76 lakh start-ups, 75,000 women-led ventures, and 115 unicorns. “Today’s job seekers will be tomorrow’s job creators,” he remarked.
MP Satnam Singh Sandhu said India’s start-up ecosystem had grown from just 400 ventures in 2014 to 1.76 lakh in 2025, registering 12,000+ patents and creating 17.6 lakh jobs. “India aims to nurture 1,000 unicorns by 2035 and 5,000 beyond. Like Google and Tesla, our start-ups can become global giants,” he said.
Vansh Oberoi, CIO of Venture Catalysts, stressed start-ups will contribute “15-20 per cent to India’s $7 trillion economy dream”. Preet Deep Singh of Apna added, “Campus Tank is about nurturing unconventional innovators solving pressing problems in society”.