Indian start-ups are disrupting the world and women-based entrepreneurship is one of the vehicles for realising a more equal society, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Monday.

Addressing an event organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), Kant further said India at present has more than 61,000 start-ups and 81 unicorns.

“Indian start-ups are disrupting the world especially in new emerging areas of health, nutrition and agriculture,” he said.

According to Kant, women-owned businesses and enterprises are playing a very prominent role in society and will soon be the next big disruption within the Indian start-up ecosystem.

“Women-based entrepreneurship is one of the vehicles for realising a more equal society as more women take on entrepreneurship, it serves as a catalyst for socio-economic transformation, by enhancing women’s agency and status,” he said.

The Niti Aayog CEO noted that presently venture capital (VC) and private equity firms are supporting women start-ups.

“This will help frame strategies and suggest appropriate measures to facilitate healthy growth of startups and will help promote women entrepreneurship,” he said.

Kant said today India is a compelling growth story poised for rapid growth in consumption, urbanisation, digitisation along with rising income levels.

To all the women entrepreneurs including potential entrepreneurs, he said: “The world is looking at India very favourably.”