“WE WANT NATIONAL CHAMPIONS WHO'LL BE GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE”

Against the backdrop of the Covid backlash against China and India’s quest for economic selfreliance, the Union electronics and IT ministry has unveiled wide-ranging incentives to encourage manufacturers of electronic goods and components to set up shop in the country. In an interview with Editorial Director (Publishing) Raj Chengappa and Deputy Editor Shwweta Punj, Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad paints his vision to turn India into a global electronics manufacturing hub and explains how this goal can be realised.

- Raj Chengappa

Q. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and you made a rather dramatic announcement of India aspiring to be the No. 1 mobile handset manufacturing destination, a $190 billion market, by 2025-26. How do you propose to make this a reality?

A. When we came to power in 2014, India had only two mobile factories. Now, we are [more than] 250, including [units making] components. In Noida and Greater Noida, over 90 factories have come up. In 2014-15, the mobile manufacturing industry’s revenue was Rs 18,990 crore. In 2018-19, it reached Rs 1.7 lakh crore, and in 2019-20, it increased to Rs 2.25 lakh crore.

Overall in the electronics [sector], production value in 2014-15 was Rs 1.9 lakh crore, growing to Rs 4.58 lakh crore in 2018-19, while the projection for 201920 is Rs 5.48 lakh crore. India’s global share [in electronics] has risen from 1.3 per cent in 2012 to over 3.5 per cent at present. We have created direct jobs for 2 million people in the past five-and-a-half years and all global mobile brands, including Apple, are in India.

Q. What incentives are you offering to help India become a global hub of electronics manufacturing?