India Nears Complete Self-Reliance In Mobile Phones As Imports Fall To Almost Zero

India’s mobile phone import dependence has shrunk to nearly zero in 2024–25, marking a dramatic shift from the 75 per cent reliance recorded a decade ago.

Fresh data presented in the Rajya Sabha on Friday shows that imported handsets now account for just 0.02 per cent of domestic demand, signalling a near-total transition to locally manufactured devices.

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Jitin Prasada, informed Parliament that the country’s electronic goods output has expanded sixfold over 11 years, rising from ₹1.9 lakh crore in 2014–15 to ₹11.3 lakh crore in 2024–25.

He attributed the rapid progress to a structured policy framework aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and a robust manufacturing ecosystem spanning the entire electronics value chain, including semiconductors.

According to government data, mobile phone manufacturing has witnessed exceptional growth, increasing 28 times to ₹5.5 lakh crore in 2024–25 from approximately ₹18,000 crore in 2014–15. Export performance has seen an even sharper rise, with outbound shipments increasing 127 times to reach ₹2 lakh crore during the same period.

The steep fall in import dependence reflects India’s growing capacity to meet domestic demand while strengthening its position as a global electronics manufacturing hub.

Policy Incentives Boost Manufacturing Momentum

The government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing has been a crucial driver, offering 3–6 per cent incentives on incremental sales of mobile phones and select components.

The initiative has attracted substantial investments from global and domestic manufacturers.

To accelerate growth across other hardware categories, the Centre has introduced a separate PLI scheme for IT hardware, providing an average incentive of 5 per cent on increased production of laptops, tablets, servers, ultra-small form factor devices and all-in-one PCs.

Additionally, programmes such as SPECS, MSIPS, and the Electronic Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) offer capital subsidies of up to 25 per cent, encouraging the development of a competitive local supply chain from components to semiconductors.

With strong export performance, expanding manufacturing capacity and declining import dependence, India is rapidly positioning itself as a trusted global partner in electronics and semiconductor production.

The government asserts that continued policy support will further enhance the country’s role in the global technology manufacturing landscape.

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