Women have been the primary beneficiaries of the ‘Make in India’ campaign, which has generated numerous direct and indirect employment opportunities, stated Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The initiative has not only created jobs but also offered extensive skilling opportunities on a large scale. Particularly, within the Apple ecosystem, around 250,000 direct jobs have been established, with women constituting 70% of the beneficiaries. Additionally, this ecosystem has facilitated the creation of approximately 750,000 indirect job opportunities.
India is gearing up to develop a proficient workforce for the upcoming phase of electronics manufacturing, focusing on Robotics, Drones, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Smart Cars, Precision components, Advanced tooling, and Smart glasses, as highlighted by Vaishnaw in a recent statement. The production-linked incentive (PLI) program has proven successful in luring investments exceeding Rs 2.16 lakh crore in the manufacturing sector, leading to the generation of over 1.4 million direct and indirect jobs by the end of 2025.
Under the PLI scheme, manufacturing units have recorded cumulative sales surpassing Rs 20.41 lakh crore, while total exports have crossed Rs 8.3 lakh crore, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Notably, the government has allocated Rs 28,748 crore as production-linked incentives under this scheme. The import of mobile phones has significantly decreased by nearly 77% since the financial year 2020–21, with over 99% of the domestic demand now being met through local production. The expansion of manufacturing activities has extended beyond mere assembly to include critical components like printed circuit board assemblies, batteries, camera and display modules, and enclosures, fostering deeper integration with global value chains.
The domestic manufacturing capacity for IT hardware has also witnessed growth, with a gradual shift towards localizing components to reduce reliance on imports. The government has raised the outlay for component manufacturing to Rs 40,000 crore and announced the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0 in the recent Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. This move aims to bolster local production and innovation, further contributing to the creation of additional direct and indirect job opportunities.
