The government has constituted an inter-ministerial committee, led by B V R Subrahmanyam, CEO, Niti Aayog to develop the core blueprint of India’s new national manufacturing mission, an official said. The mission was announced in the Union Budget 2024–25 as part of the renewed push to accelerate the Make in India agenda.

The proposed mission will focus on five key pillars:

• Ease and cost of doing business
• Future-ready workforce MSME sector empowerment
• Access to better technology
• High-quality product standards

It aims to cover all segments—small, medium, and large industries—and is expected to offer policy support, along with a governance and monitoring mechanism for both central and state levels.

Currently, manufacturing contributes about 16–17% to India’s GDP, and the new mission seeks to raise this share. An industry expert said the initiative would enhance competitiveness, foster innovation, and better integrate Indian manufacturing with global value chains.

Background: Make in India Launched in 2014, the Make in India programme was designed to turn India into a global manufacturing hub and create jobs by attracting investment. It prioritises sectors like automobiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, food processing, and textiles.

Reforms under the initiative have included ease of doing business measures, infrastructure upgrades, and investment incentives. Schemes such as the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan have further strengthened the programme by focusing on self-reliance and local manufacturing capabilities.

While successes like a surge in mobile phone manufacturing and rising FDI inflows are evident, experts say regulatory hurdles, infrastructure bottlenecks, and the need for skilled manpower remain key challenges.

(CW)