NEW DELHI: India has reached a level where it can have export-led growth in electronic products, said telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday. The minister, while speaking to the press at Tata’s iPhone plant in Hosur also mentioned that 99.2% of the mobile phones used in the country are made in India.
“We have reached in the last 9.5 years a level where we can today dream of having an exports-led growth in the electronics sector. Ten years ago 98% of mobile phones used in India were imported. Today, 99.2% of the mobile phones used in the country are made in India. That is the success of the ‘Make In India’ program of Prime Minister Modi,” said the minister.
While highlighting the progress in electronics manufacturing in the country, the minister said 10 years ago, electronic manufacturing was a very small industry in India, but today it has crossed the $100 billion mark. The mobile phone manufacturing, which was a miniscule industry 10 years ago, is now a $44 billion industry, and export value is $11 billion.
However, not only numbers have increased but India has been climbing up the value chain too. “Currently, there are multiple components that are manufactured in India… I can tell you that there are certain components where India has emerged as a big exporter.. I would like the industry experts to talk a little bit more about it. The industry experts should not be shy about the contribution,” said the minister.
The minister also took a potshot on the opposition leaders. He said there are some big leaders in the Opposition who still believe that mobile phones are imported. “They forget today 99.2% of mobile phones used in India are made in India...There are some very famous people who want to criticise the growth of the mobile phone industry in the country. They forget the employment in the mobile phone industry, they forget that 2.5 lakh employees are directly employed in the mobile phone industry, they forget that every passing day, the country’s growth in the value chain is increasing,” saidthe minister.