During TiECON 2026, held in Chandigarh, Sanjeev Arora (Punjab's Industry and Commerce Minister) announced significant changes to the state's startup funding policies. The government has eliminated the upper limit on startup funding approvals for this year and increased seed funding from ₹5 lakh (approximately $6,000 USD) to ₹15 lakh (approximately $18,000 USD). Arora emphasized the importance of AI-driven startups for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and affordable public healthcare, which he considers urgent areas for investment. He noted that MSMEs contribute nearly 30% to India's GDP and employ over 30 crore (300 million) people. Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur reinforced the national perspective, highlighting India's status as the world's fourth-largest economy with a GDP of $4.18 trillion. He pointed out that the startup revolution is expanding beyond metropolitan areas, with tier 2 and tier 3 cities increasingly contributing to new registrations, a trend evident at TiECON with participation from startups across Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.