The Government think-tank NITI Aayog has unveiled a groundbreaking roadmap titled “Reimagining Manufacturing: India’s Roadmap to Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing”, developed by its Frontier Tech Hub in collaboration with CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) and Deloitte. The initiative was guided by an expert council of industry leaders and aims to elevate India’s manufacturing sector to new heights.

The roadmap was launched by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, and Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow at NITI Aayog, among others.

This comprehensive roadmap outlines a sector-specific approach to harnessing frontier technologies and enhancing India’s manufacturing competitiveness. It identifies artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced materials, digital twins, and robotics as key enablers of growth, while exploring their application across 13 priority manufacturing sectors. The roadmap’s vision is for India’s manufacturing sector to contribute over 25 per cent to the country’s GDP, generate more than 100 million jobs, and position India as one of the top three global hubs for advanced manufacturing by 2035. These milestones align with India’s larger goal of becoming a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047.

According to Subrahmanyam, India’s economic ascent is closely tied to the strength of its manufacturing sector, and mere incremental change will not be sufficient. He emphasized that the roadmap offers a decisive, time-bound strategy to transform India into an Advanced Manufacturing Powerhouse by 2035, integrating frontier technologies to build precision, resilience, and sustainability into the nation’s manufacturing DNA, and ensuring a globally competitive ‘Made in India’ identity.

The roadmap also highlights the need to address existing barriers that limit India’s manufacturing competitiveness. It calls for a coordinated initiative to improve R&D ecosystems, industrial infrastructure, workforce development, and the widespread deployment of frontier technologies in a sector-specific manner. This will be achieved through a ten-year strategic roadmap, which includes targeted interventions in critical areas.

A key cautionary note within the roadmap is the risk India faces if it fails to adopt essential frontier technologies in profitable sectors. According to the document, India stands to forfeit $270 billion in additional manufacturing GDP by 2035, and $1 trillion by 2047, if these technologies are not integrated into the country’s manufacturing landscape.

(Source: Fortune India)