Prime Minister Narendra Modi revived his pitch for Make in India at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi. Insisting now is the best moment to invest, innovate and manufacture in India. He called for acceleration of reforms, presenting the nation as a friendly destination for businesses and startups. Modi highlighted sectors such as mobile phones, semiconductors and electronics as major areas of opportunity. He noted that over the last decade, India transformed its digital infrastructure 1 GB of wireless data now costs less than a cup of tea. He pointed to India’s launch of a Made in India 4G Stack, putting the country among just five in the world with that capability.
He also emphasised India’s democratic setup, reforms favouring ease of doing business, and policies welcoming foreign investment. These, he said, have improved India’s image globally. He reminded the audience that earlier this year he had declared it would be a year of big changes and reforms. The aspiration is bold. India aims to reduce dependency on imports, especially in high‐tech areas. But critics point out that Make in India has fallen short of earlier targets: the share of manufacturing in GDP was projected to hit 25 percent, but it has in fact declined since 2013-14.
To align goals with reality, policy execution must sharpen. Speed, consistency and transparency will matter more than rhetoric. For foreign and domestic investors alike, signal matters but so does follow-through. If India can bridge the gap between promise and performance, today may prove to be its turning point.
