Following PM Modi’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat call, and encouraged by the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, many products that were earlier imported are now Made In India, Made By Indians. Over the last decade, India has been working towards becoming a ‘manufacturing-led’ economy, where we produce what we need, while also meeting the demand overseas.
From 2013-14 to 2023-24, India’s total exports have risen to about $778 billion, a 67% increase, with merchandise exports alone accounting for more than half of that. According to government-linked sources, FDI in manufacturing between 2014-2024 has been at about $165.1 billion, an almost 69% rise since the decade preceding that.
Manufacturers have come to India for its large, young labour, English-speaking labour force, who are rapidly skilling themselves to meet the needs of the AI age. Over the years, this has helped India double its share in the global export market, boosting its role as the world’s fifth-largest economy.
From smartphones to medicines to trains, here are 10 products that are now made in India, made by India.
Smartphones & Handsets
Smartphones represent the biggest success story for India’s exports. In 2014, almost 78% of the mobile phones sold in India were imported. Today, more than 95% off the mobile phones are now assembled locally. Apple’s iPhone, which continues to remain the world’s most coveted smartphone, is being assembled and exported from India, with various component manufacturers from China and Taiwan also setting up shop here. Today, India is proudly the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer.
Toys
From being a net importer (almost 80% of children’s toys came from China) to becoming a manufacturing base for global giants Hasbro and Mattel, India’s toys industry has come a long way. Between 2014 and 2022, India’s toy exports increased by about 239%, while imports reduced between 52-67%, as stronger quality rules and higher duties discouraged low-quality goods from the market.
Leading MNCs continue to look to India to diversify their supply chains and to take advantage of India’s lower labour costs and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. The next time you see a plush toy or a board game in an aisle abroad, chances are high that they’ve been sourced from India.
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)
Though India has been known as the ‘pharmacy of the world’ as a leading exporter of generic medicines, we still haven’t been able to produce the main ingredients behind these medicines. For long, we’ve been importing nearly 70% of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) from abroad, but that’s been changing, as companies like Biocon, Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy’s and Lupin are now producing these critical API’s domestically. The list is growing, boosting Aatmanirbharta for our pharmaceutical industries, and reducing the supply chain vulnerabilities.
Air Conditioners (ACs)
Earlier, most ACs were merely ‘assembled’ in India, while critical parts like compressors and copper tubes were sourced from abroad. Now, major manufacturers are producing these high-value components locally, with companies like Blue Star, Daikin and Volta setting up massive plants for the same. Many local companies are also providing components and gases for the industry, reducing reliance on imports.
In 2023, India exported $435 million worth of ACs in 2024-25, a 32% year on year growth, after meeting the domestic demand.
Defense Equipment
India has been one off the world’s largest arms importers for years. However, this has been changing for the better over the last decade, as India’s leading defence OEMs- DRDO, HAL and Mazagon Dock- have been refining their crafts of late, coming up with state-of-the-art solutions for the country. Today, the indigenous LCA Tejas and the homegrown aircraft carrier INS Vikrant have proved that India has what it takes to become Aatmanirbhar in defence technology.
LED Lights
A decade ago, LED bulbs were expensive and mostly imported. Today, most of the LEDs we use have been manufactured locally, thanks to the push by the government’s UJALA scheme. Local production has also meant lower costs per bulb, and turned India into a net exporter of energy-efficient LED bulbs. In 2025, India will become the third-largest exporter of LED lights, behind China and Vietnam.
Solar PV Modules
Solar PV modules were earlier entirely imported. Over the last decade, India has grown its capacity to produce these modules to a level that almost 100 GW of these modules are now Made In India. Encouraged by the PLI scheme and protectionist measures to discourage imports, many companies are making a beeline to produce these clean energy modules locally. Under the government’s Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), companies making these PV Modules have increased from just 21 in 2021to almost 100 today, with 123 manufacturing units established in this regard.
Drones
Drones have various uses- many of which are crucial for security, agriculture, surveillance and other uses where human intervention could be dangerous. Earlier, most of the drones used were imported, but that’s changing for the better now, as various Indian startups- IdeaForge, Garuda Aerospace, TechEagle and Redwing Labs- are now manufacturing them locally. Over the years, many defence drones have been locally made, with further indigenisation being done gradually, encouraged by the Central Government’s PLI scheme.
High-Speed Trains
A decade ago, world-class train journeys mostly meant Rajdhani and Shatabdi express trains. Everything besides that was locally made trains that weren’t up to international standards. Today, the Vande Bharat Express trains have been one of the biggest success stories in domestic coach manufacturing, with world-class comforts on wheels. After the success of these trains, the Railways are now introducing Vande Bharat Sleeper Coaches for longer distance journeys.
Medical Devices
In 2014, almost 80% of medical devices were imported into India, but that has changed for the better. From being designated as a ‘sunrise sector’, the almost $50 billion market now has various crucial Made In India machines- MRI scanners, CT Scanners, Linear Accelerators and Dialysis Machines are now made here, along with various implants, medical consumables and disposables. The biggest achievement so far has been from Voxelgrids, a Zoho-backed startup that has just launched an indigenously developed MRI scanner that is 40% cheaper than locally assembled ones. Prodded by the PLI scheme, domestic and foreign OEMs are now looking at India as a manufacturing hub for medical devices, with the hopes of further investments here as demand for this equipment increases worldwide.
