- Why in news
- On 25 September 2026, the Prime Minister marked 12 years of 'Make in India' and said it has led to more manufacturing, investment and exports across sectors.
- What it is
- Make in India is a national initiative launched in September 2014 to make India a global hub for manufacturing, design and innovation. It works through easier investment and business rules, better infrastructure and support for innovation. It was later expanded as Make in India 2.0, which covers 27 sectors.
- Claimed outcomes
- The Prime Minister said the initiative has led to more manufacturing, more investment and more exports.
- Reach
- The Prime Minister said the change is visible across sectors.
- Launch year
- Make in India was launched in 2014.
- Make in India 2.0
- The later phase covers 27 sectors.
- Launch
- Make in India was launched on 25 September 2014 to make India a global manufacturing, design and innovation hub.
- PLI schemes
- PLI schemes reward incremental production and sales across 14 sectors, such as electronics, pharmaceuticals and automobiles.
- National Single Window System
- NSWS is a common digital platform for finding and applying for approvals, covering Central and State approvals.
- PM GatiShakti
- The National Master Plan was launched in October 2021. It uses geospatial data for coordinated infrastructure planning.
Don’t confuse with Make in India vs Atmanirbhar Bharat: Make in India (2014) is a manufacturing and investment initiative. Atmanirbhar Bharat is a wider self-reliance vision announced in 2020.
Don’t confuse with Make in India vs PLI: Make in India is the umbrella campaign. PLI is one scheme under it that pays incentives on incremental sales.
Don’t confuse with NSWS vs India Industrial Land Bank: NSWS handles approvals online. The Land Bank maps industrial land and parks.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Aims to raise manufacturing's share of the economy and create jobs.
- Seeks to attract investment and boost exports.
- Raises domestic output, exports and jobs in key sectors such as electronics, defence and pharmaceuticals.
- Builds capacity in components, machinery and strategic materials, which reduces import dependence.
Problems
- Manufacturing's share of GDP has stayed well below the targets set for it.
- Constraints remain in logistics costs, land, labour rules and dependence on imported inputs.
- Domestic value addition in some sectors, such as mobile phones, still relies on imported components.
- Dependence on incentives raises questions about long-term competitiveness and fiscal cost.
Way forward
- Improve infrastructure and ease of doing business to cut costs.
- Deepen domestic supply chains and support innovation.
- Deepen component and materials ecosystems through schemes like Semicon 2.0 and the rare-earth magnet scheme.
- Continue easing approvals and improving infrastructure and land access.
Put in your answer
Electronics growth: Electronics production rose nearly sevenfold, from about ₹1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to about ₹13.11 lakh crore in 2025-26.
Defence production: Indigenous defence production rose from ₹46,429 crore in 2014-15 to a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26.
- 2015Mains GS3 · Q8Discuss whether Make in India's success depends on Skill India and labour reforms
- 2023Mains GS3 · Q1Comment on government policies raising manufacturing's GDP share, especially MSMEs
- 2025Mains GS3 · Q12Discuss PLI scheme's rationale, achievements, and ways to improve outcomes
- 2012Prelims Q34Which recent government initiatives promote manufacturing growth: investment zones, single window, technology fund
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting scheme on the syllabus, but this release is only a 12-year social media post with no new provisions or facts to test.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.