Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, in a shoutout to Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal, asserted that what matters in India is hard work, and not one’s surname.

He referred to Zomato CEO’s off-the-cuff remarks on his father not expecting him to do well as a startup entrepreneur, particularly because they did not come from a well-established family.

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“In today’s India, one’s surname doesn’t matter. What matters is hard work. Your journey is truly inspiring, Deepinder Goyal! It motivates countless youngsters to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. We are committed to providing the right environment for the startups to flourish,” PM Modi wrote on social media platform X, sharing a video clip posted by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

In the video clip, Deepinder Goyal could be heard saying when he started Zomato in 2008, his father used to say at that time that “Tu janta hai tera baap kaun hai”. He added that his father thought he would never be able to pull off a start-up given their “humble background”.

“I come from a small town in Punjab. But over the last 16 years, I think a lot has changed, especially over the past 7-10 years,” he said, while praising the central government initiatives.

The video was posted by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday evening.

Responding to PM Modi’s post, Zomato Founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal thanked him for his kind words.

“This does certainly motivate us to work harder and do better,” he posted.

He further praised PM Modi for providing ample opportunities to small-town entrepreneurs like him, as the online food delivery platform, coupled with quick commerce delivery platform Blinkit, scaled new highs in the last couple of years.

Deepinder Goyal’s remarks came at the ‘Vishesh Sampark Abhiyan’ event in Delhi in presence of Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Rajeev Chandrashekhar, along with fellow startup founders.

The event brought together leading IT professionals, innovators, startup leaders, and intellectuals to discuss the country’s digital transformation and future potential under PM Modi.

At the event, Rohan Verma, CEO of MapMyIndia noted that the government has unlocked the tremendous opportunity in space and geospatial over the last 4 years.

He asserted how difficult it was to work earlier as the geospatial sector was restricted. “But when we reached out to Niti Aayog, they got the policies amended, enabling us to serve the country and make us atma nirbhar.”

“India’s recent strides in the space sector have been appreciated by the entire world. Our Government has and will continue to make every possible effort to transform the crucial space and geospatial sectors,” PM Modi wrote on X, applauding MapmyIndia’s work.