From phones to defence: What 12 years of Make in India delivered
As Make in India completes 12 years, electronics, mobile phones, defence exports and PLI-led manufacturing emerge as major growth engines, while deeper domestic value addition remains the next big challenge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday marked 12 years of the 'Make in India' initiative, describing it as a programme focused on creating the infrastructure, enterprise and innovation India needs to grow and prosper.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister shared a video and wrote that 'Make in India' is about creating infrastructure, enterprise and innovation that allow India to grow and prosper, tagging it #12YearsOfMakeInIndia. In another post, he pointed to more production, more investment and more exports as signs of a transformation visible across sectors.
From launch to 27 sectors
'Make in India' was launched on September 25, 2014, with the ambition of making India a global hub for manufacturing, design and innovation. It now spans 27 sectors, 15 in manufacturing and 12 in services.
PLI: from incentive to output
The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes have been the initiative's key lever. According to government data, PLI schemes have generated production and sales of about Rs 23.8 lakh crore and exports of over Rs 15.5 lakh crore, with investments of around Rs 2.58 lakh crore.
Phones: from dependence to domestic dominance
Electronics has been the standout story. Electronics production grew nearly sevenfold, from Rs 1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs 13.11 lakh crore in 2025-26. Mobile phone production rose roughly 33 times, from Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 6.27 lakh crore, making India the world's second-largest mobile phone manufacturer by volume. Government data now shows that 99.2% of mobile phones used in India are made domestically.
Defence: from buyer to exporter
India's defence sector has seen one of the sharpest turnarounds. Defence exports have grown about 55 times, from nearly Rs 690 crore in 2014 to over Rs 38,400 crore. Indigenous defence production also hit a record Rs 1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, up from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15.
In automobiles, vehicle production reached 31.03 million units in 2024-25, 33% higher than in 2014-15.
Beyond the numbers
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said India has moved from manufacturing mainly for its domestic market to producing for global markets. He framed the initiative's biggest outcome as a shift in confidence among founders, manufacturers, innovators and exporters: "India can make, India can innovate, and India can compete with the world."
The road ahead
The gains in phones, defence and PLI-linked exports are significant, but the larger goal of making manufacturing a much bigger share of India's economy is still a work in progress. The original ambition was to lift manufacturing to about a quarter of GDP, a mark the sector has yet to reach. As the initiative enters its thirteenth year, the focus is likely to shift toward deeper domestic value addition in semiconductors, components and advanced manufacturing, so that assembly-led growth turns into capability across the supply chain.