The Narendra Modi administration marks a decade of the “Make in India” initiative; however, an examination of the nation’s manufacturing and export metrics indicates that this effort has not significantly enhanced the sector’s contribution to GDP, employment levels, or its position in global exports. Launched on September 25, 2014, the “Make in India” initiative aimed to attract investment, promote innovation, develop superior infrastructure, and establish India as a center for manufacturing, design, and innovation. On the occasion of the program’s tenth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed on X that “Make in India” embodies the “collective resolve of 140 crore Indians to transform our nation into a powerhouse of manufacturing and innovation.”
The ‘Make in India’ initiative, introduced in 2014, was designed to enhance the manufacturing landscape of the nation and diminish reliance on foreign imports. In discussing significant milestones, Modi highlighted the remarkable expansion of the mobile manufacturing industry, which had merely two operational units in the country at the campaign’s inception. Currently, this figure has escalated to over 200, with mobile exports experiencing an extraordinary rise from ₹1,556 crore to ₹1.2 lakh crore, representing an astonishing increase of 7,500%. Furthermore, he underscored that 99% of mobile devices utilized in India are now produced domestically, positioning the nation as the second-largest mobile manufacturer in the world.Modi asserts that the ‘Make in India’ initiative has significantly contributed to the empowerment of everyday individuals, especially within the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. He emphasized that this initiative has enabled the underprivileged to envision greater possibilities and foster ambitions, instilling in them the belief that they have the potential to become creators of wealth.
