Indigenous Technology Development and Make in India: Building Instead of Buying

Think of a family that buys every meal from outside. It works, until the shop shuts. A country that imports its key goods faces the same risk.

• India long imported much of its electronics, medicine inputs and weapons.
• Imports cost foreign money. They also leave a country exposed if supplies stop.
• In 2020, COVID-19 lockdowns broke global supply chains. Many Indian factories could not get parts, especially from China.
• That shock turned self-reliance from an economic wish into a strategic goal.
• Making goods at home also creates jobs. And it can earn money through exports.

Make in India (2014)

• Launched on 25 September 2014.
• Its aim was to make India a global hub for manufacturing and innovation, across 25 sectors.
• Its goals included 12-14% yearly growth in manufacturing. It also aimed to lift manufacturing toward 25% of GDP.
• Its logo is a lion made of machine cogs. The lion comes from the Ashoka emblem.

iDEX (2018)

• iDEX means Innovations for Defence Excellence. It was launched in April 2018.
• It is run by the Defence Innovation Organisation.
• It gives start-ups and MSMEs grants of up to ₹1.5 crore to solve problems set by the forces.
• A higher tier, iDEX Prime, gives up to ₹10 crore for bigger projects.

PLI Scheme (2020)

• The first PLI schemes, for mobile phones and medicine inputs, began in 2020.
• They were later widened to 14 sectors. About ₹1.97 lakh crore was announced for them in 2021.
• PIB now gives the approved outlay as ₹1.91 lakh crore.

Atmanirbhar Bharat (2020)

• It means “Self-Reliant India”. It was announced on 12 May 2020, during COVID-19.
• It came with a ₹20 lakh crore package, about 10% of GDP then.
• It rests on five pillars: Economy, Infrastructure, System, Demography and Demand.

Old subsidies often paid companies up front. Some took the money and made little. PLI flips this.

• PLI pays a company a percentage of its extra sales over a base year.
• So the company must first make and sell more. Only then does it get paid.
• The payment runs for about five years. The rate differs from sector to sector.
• Sectors include mobile phones, medicines, medical devices, solar modules and advanced batteries.
• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) coordinates all PLI schemes.

What has PLI delivered so far?

• By 31 March 2026, PLI had drawn over ₹2.40 lakh crore of real investment.
• It had created over 14.15 lakh jobs, direct and indirect.
• Exports from PLI units crossed ₹15.2 lakh crore since the start.
• About 99.2% of mobile phones used in India are now made in India.

(Source: PIB, 21 July 2026)

Defence is where self-reliance matters most. In a war, you cannot wait for a foreign supplier.

• Defence production rose from ₹46,000 crore in 2014 to ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26.
• Defence exports rose from ₹686 crore in 2013-14 to ₹38,424 crore in 2025-26.
• India now has 145 defence exporters. They sell to more than 80 countries.
• On 17 October 2025, HAL opened its third Tejas Mk1A line, at Nashik. HAL can now make 24 of these jets a year.

DRDO is India’s main defence research body. For years, it built things itself. Now it is sharing its work with private firms.

• DRDO has handed over 2,300+ technologies to more than 1,100 industries.
• These include technology for about 50 missiles.
• The government plans to give 25% of the defence R&D budget to private industry.
• In June 2026, new financial powers for DRDO (DFP-2026) let it fund trials and early research faster. (PIB)
• In September 2026, at the VIMARSH meet, DRDO said it will share its software source code with licensed firms. (PIB)
• The same meet offered MSMEs and deep-tech start-ups direct funding and use of DRDO test labs.

Record production and exports (14 August 2026)

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh shared the data on the eve of the 80th Independence Day.
• Defence production hit a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26.
• Public sector units made about 76% of it. The private sector’s share rose to 24%.
• Exports hit a record ₹38,424 crore. The target is ₹50,000 crore by 2029.
• The defence budget grew from ₹2.53 lakh crore in 2013-14 to ₹7.85 lakh crore in 2026-27.

(Source: The Hindu)

Other recent steps

• 3 Jul 2026: the Defence Acquisition Council cleared buys worth about ₹52,000 crore. The Army gets Akash Tarang, an anti-drone electronic warfare system. The Air Force gets a fixed-wing High Altitude Pseudo Satellite for long-duration surveillance. (Akashvani News)
• 2 Sep 2026: the IAF drop-tested Khagantak-243, a home-made long-range glide bomb. It lets a jet strike from a safe distance. (The Hindu)
• 7 Sep 2026: the Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by the Defence Minister, cleared buys worth about ₹1.10 lakh crore. About 98% will come from Indian industry. (PIB)