‘Make in India’ has become ‘Fake in India’, says Congress

The Congress on Monday, 14 October, criticised the Modi government's 'Make in India' initiative, labelling it a series of unfulfilled promises, or 'jumlas', and saying it had become a 'Fake in India programme' instead.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh has claimed that the objectives set during the programme's 2014 launch have not been met and roundly criticised the government's economic policies for this poor outcome.

'When Prime Minister Modi launched 'Make in India' in 2014 with much hype and fanfare, he outlined four key objectives. However, 10 years later, the reality tells a different story,' Ramesh posted on X.

Broken promises vs outcomes

Ramesh highlighted the following:

Jumla 1: Will increase industrial growth to 12–14 per cent annually.

Reality: Since 2014, India's manufacturing growth rate has averaged only 5.2 per cent.

Jumla 2: Will create 100 million industrial jobs by 2022.

Reality: The number of manufacturing jobs has decreased, falling from 51.3 million in 2017 to 35.65 million in 2022–23.

Jumla 3: Will raise the manufacturing sector’s share in the GDP to 25 per cent by 2022 (later extended to 2025).

Reality: The sector's share in India's Gross Added Value (GAV) has actually dropped from 18.1 per cent in 2011–12 to 14.3 per cent in 2022–23.

Jumla 4: Position India as the "new factory of the world" by overtaking China.

Reality: Instead of reducing dependence on China, India's imports from China have increased, with the share rising from 11 per cent in 2014 to 15 per cent in recent years.

Ramesh further accused the Modi government of fostering economic instability and unpredictability over the last decade, citing demonetisation as a key example.

He argued that growth in private investment has also been dampened due to an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, with only a few large business conglomerates — those close to Modi — prospering.

'Make in India has simply become Fake in India,' Ramesh said, asserting that competition has been stifled under the current regime.

In contrast, last month, on the 10th anniversary of the 'Make in India' campaign, PM Modi claimed that the initiative had transformed India into a manufacturing powerhouse, emphasising that it reflects the collective resolve of 140 crore Indians and that 'Bharat is unstoppable'.

Make in India, launched by the Modi regime, aimed to promote the development, manufacturing and assembly of products within the country while encouraging investments in the manufacturing sector. The initiative's goal was to foster a favourable investment climate, build modern infrastructure and open up new sectors to foreign capital.

However, the programme has fallen short of its key objectives.

One of its primary targets was to increase the share of manufacturing in India's GDP to 25 per cent by 2022.

Instead, the manufacturing sector’s contribution has declined, dropping from 16.7 per cent in 2013–2014 to 15.9 per cent in 2023–24.