The number of Startups in the country has reached over 1,40,000. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Jayant Chaudhary said, the recognized startups have created over 15 lakh direct jobs in the country. He said, the government had launched the Startup India initiative in 2016 with the intent to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and encouraging investments.