India Becomes the World's Second-Largest Mobile Manufacturing
India has solidified its position as the world's second-largest mobile manufacturer, growing from just two units in 2014 to over 300 operational units today, Union Minister for Railways and Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced.
Vaishnaw said that 99.2% of mobile phones sold in India are now manufactured in the country itself, adding that the sector's manufacturing value has grown to Rs 4,22,000 crore, while mobile phone exports have increased to Rs1,29,000 crore in 2024. Only 26% of mobile phones sold in India were manufactured locally in 2014-15, and most of them were imported.
Currently, India makes around 325 to 330 million mobile phones a year, which it sells to a population of almost a billion devices in the domestic market. "Indian mobile phones have virtually saturated the domestic market, and exports have seen a sharp rise. From almost no exports in 2014, the sector has now crossed Rs 1,29,000 crore in exports", Vaishnaw noted.
He attributed this success to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, which has transformed India into a global manufacturing hub. The sector's growth has been a major employment driver, generating approximately 12 lakh direct and indirect jobs over the past decade. These employment opportunities have contributed significantly to India’s economic and social development.
The minister added that the localization of these mobile critical components was earlier dominated by imports. Through the 'Make in India' initiative, domestic production of key sub-assemblies such as chargers, battery packs, USB cables, Lithium-ion cells, display assemblies, and camera modules has been made possible.
Moving forward, the emphasis would be on making the value chain deeper through higher production of vital components and semiconductors. "Building semiconductor manufacturing capacity is part of a more holistic strategy for strengthening self-reliance and building India as one of the global leaders in electronics," Vaishnaw reminded.
An India Semiconductor Mission was recently launched to help develop a strong semiconductor ecosystem. Five major projects have already been approved in the area: Micron, two Tata Electronics projects, one by CG Power, and another by Keynes. This is an essential step toward developing a domestic base for semiconductor manufacturing-an effort that India has been at for more than six decades.
From toys to mobile phones, defence equipment to EV motors, production is shifting back to India," Vaishnaw observed, which emphasizes the nation's commitment towards enhancing its manufacturing base.
All this is in tandem with a push that would solidify India as a leader of the world in mobile and electronics manufacturing and catapult the nation's economic growth with technological upgradations.
