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Smartphones Lead Exports, PLI Drives Growth—Yet Import Dependence Persists
Anytime News Network | Pooja Srivastava
India’s electronics manufacturing sector is witnessing rapid expansion, but questions remain over the depth of self-reliance. According to the Ministry of Electronics and IT, domestic value addition has improved to 18–20%, indicating progress but also highlighting continued dependence on imports.
Over the past decade, electronics production has surged from ₹1.9 lakh crore to nearly ₹12 lakh crore, while exports have grown eightfold. Notably, smartphones emerged as India’s top export item in 2025.
The PLI Scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing has exceeded targets in investment, production, and exports, generating over 185,000 direct jobs. However, experts argue that much of this growth is driven by assembly rather than deep manufacturing.
Jitin Prasada stated that India is now the world’s second-largest mobile manufacturer, with production exceeding ₹5.5 lakh crore.
Complementary initiatives like IT Hardware PLI 2.0 and the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme aim to strengthen the component ecosystem. The ECMS has already attracted investment commitments of ₹1.15 lakh crore—nearly double the target.
Despite these gains, analysts caution that unless India builds strong domestic capabilities in semiconductors and core components, true self-reliance in electronics manufacturing will remain incomplete.
