Kurukshetra Magazine September 2023 - 3 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


Kurukshetra       September  2023 38
Arunlal K.
ater, the most essential and 
indispensable component in 
any industrial process, is a vital 
factor that influences the decisions of investors and 
industrialists. The Make in India initiative, launched in 
September 2014 with the objective of promoting India 
as the most preferred global manufacturing destination, 
has a huge reliance on the effective use of water. There 
are six “super star sectors” identified as boosting the 
Make in India initiative: Automotive, Electronics System 
Design and Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Roads 
and Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food Processing. 
These sectors are expected to attract multi-billion 
Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), expand at a faster pace, 
and reinforce growth in other connected segments. The 
water requirements of the new manufacturing units 
W
being incepted under Make in India must be met from 
what is left after meeting agriculture and domestic 
demands. According to the estimates by the United 
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) 
and World Bank, the GDP per cubic meter of fresh water 
withdrawal in India is quite low, to the tune of USD 4.0, 
while it is USD 674 in Singapore, USD 172 in Australia, 
USD 275 in Israel, and USD 25 in China. This scenario 
makes it important for industries to optimise water use 
and get the most out of each unit of water consumed. 
Automotive
The Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2026 envisions 
the automotive industry as the engine of Make in India 
and projects a four-fold growth from the existing USD 74 
billion to USD 300 billion. The sector will create about 
The author is an experienced professional in national level policy formulation, water resources management, operation of 
major and medium irrigation projects, and basin level planning. Presently working as Engineer in Irrigation Department, 
Govt. of Kerala. Email: arunlal.tkm@gmail.com
Make in India’s Super Star Sectors and 
Water Management
The Make in India initiative’s six super 
star sectors - Automotive, Electronics 
System Design and Manufacturing, 
Renewable Energy, Roads and 
Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food 
Processing-are expected to boost 
India’s economic growth. Water, the 
primary component of all development 
needs, has a substantial role in the 
growth of these sectors as well. 
Effective management and increased 
productivity of water are crucial to 
achieving the goals of Make in India 
and making them sustainable.
Page 2


Kurukshetra       September  2023 38
Arunlal K.
ater, the most essential and 
indispensable component in 
any industrial process, is a vital 
factor that influences the decisions of investors and 
industrialists. The Make in India initiative, launched in 
September 2014 with the objective of promoting India 
as the most preferred global manufacturing destination, 
has a huge reliance on the effective use of water. There 
are six “super star sectors” identified as boosting the 
Make in India initiative: Automotive, Electronics System 
Design and Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Roads 
and Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food Processing. 
These sectors are expected to attract multi-billion 
Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), expand at a faster pace, 
and reinforce growth in other connected segments. The 
water requirements of the new manufacturing units 
W
being incepted under Make in India must be met from 
what is left after meeting agriculture and domestic 
demands. According to the estimates by the United 
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) 
and World Bank, the GDP per cubic meter of fresh water 
withdrawal in India is quite low, to the tune of USD 4.0, 
while it is USD 674 in Singapore, USD 172 in Australia, 
USD 275 in Israel, and USD 25 in China. This scenario 
makes it important for industries to optimise water use 
and get the most out of each unit of water consumed. 
Automotive
The Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2026 envisions 
the automotive industry as the engine of Make in India 
and projects a four-fold growth from the existing USD 74 
billion to USD 300 billion. The sector will create about 
The author is an experienced professional in national level policy formulation, water resources management, operation of 
major and medium irrigation projects, and basin level planning. Presently working as Engineer in Irrigation Department, 
Govt. of Kerala. Email: arunlal.tkm@gmail.com
Make in India’s Super Star Sectors and 
Water Management
The Make in India initiative’s six super 
star sectors - Automotive, Electronics 
System Design and Manufacturing, 
Renewable Energy, Roads and 
Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food 
Processing-are expected to boost 
India’s economic growth. Water, the 
primary component of all development 
needs, has a substantial role in the 
growth of these sectors as well. 
Effective management and increased 
productivity of water are crucial to 
achieving the goals of Make in India 
and making them sustainable.
39 Kurukshetra       September  2023
65 million jobs and contribute over 12% to the country’s 
GDP. Many global car makers have already set up their 
manufacturing units in India. But on the other hand, this 
growth is going to create an additional demand for water 
resources. According to estimates by the automobile 
industry, producing a car uses 39000 gallons of water. 
As the automotive industry grows, there is a demand 
to produce more paint, which is another trigger for an 
increase in water consumption. In addition, the painting 
process needs a significant volume of water since most 
of those are water-based products, and another major 
share goes to the regular cleaning of equipment. Thus, 
it becomes imperative for industries to choose locations 
with sufficient and sustainable water availability. 
Sometimes it can even lead to conflicts among existing 
users of the water source. However, it is heartening to 
observe that major automotive manufacturers have 
been adopting sustainable water management practices 
and waterless solutions in their production and supply 
chains. For example, Hyundai’s 7,50,000 unit-per-annum 
plant in Sriperumbudur, Chennai, practises rainwater 
harvesting and maintains a zero discharge policy with 
100% recycling. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), in its 
facility in Bidadi, Bangalore, has no intake of freshwater 
for industrial purposes. Indian major Tata Motors has 
adopted a strategy to continuously improve its water 
use efficiency through process improvements, leakage 
elimination, and recycling waste water for re-use in its 
operations. Further, the car manufacturers introduced 
waterless car cleaning operations. In 2008, the US 
Energy Department published a Technology Roadmap 
for Energy Reduction in Automotive Manufacturing 
for the elimination or reduction of energy, water, 
and chemical requirements in paint pre-treatment. 
The above examples and practices are replicable and 
scalable as the automotive industry grows through 
Make in India initiatives.
Electronics System Design and Manufacturing
As the world becomes more and more technology-
driven and the country embraces the Digital India 
initiative, electronics device manufacturing plays a 
pivotal role in all sectors. It is anticipated that India 
will become the global hub for electronics system 
design and manufacturing in the near future. The 
Government’s National Policy on Electronics 2019 (NPE 
2019) recognises electronics hardware manufacturing 
as one of the important pillars of Make in India and 
proposes to achieve a turnover of USD 400 billion by 
2025. The Electronics manufacturing industry needs 
ultra-pure water at various stages of its processes 
and applications, such as the manufacture of thin-film 
devices, semiconductors, memory devices, vacuum 
devices, electrical devices, washing semiconductor 
components in manufacturing, cleaning, and other 
operations. The fact is that the generation of one unit 
of ultra-pure water requires multiple units of raw water, 
depending on the required quality. Standards of water 
quality vary based on different parameters, including the 
size of the manufacturing equipment and the stipulated 
quality of the product. Industry experts estimate that 
it takes approximately 2200 gallons of water, including 
1500 gallons of ultra-pure water, to create one integrated 
circuit on a wafer, and one computer can contain a 
multitude of those little wafers, or chips. This too points 
to the tight coupling between the availability of pure 
water and the success of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. 
Electronics industry has the potential to innovate to 
create ultra-pure water with minimum wastage, which 
is not only useful for the industry but for the generation 
of pure water for drinking purposes as well.
Renewable Energy
India is striving to achieve 50% of cumulative 
electric power installed from renewables by 2030. 
This includes power generation from solar, wind, 
hydropower, and green hydrogen. The sector allows 
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which stimulates 
the growth of manufacturing industries that make 
Page 3


Kurukshetra       September  2023 38
Arunlal K.
ater, the most essential and 
indispensable component in 
any industrial process, is a vital 
factor that influences the decisions of investors and 
industrialists. The Make in India initiative, launched in 
September 2014 with the objective of promoting India 
as the most preferred global manufacturing destination, 
has a huge reliance on the effective use of water. There 
are six “super star sectors” identified as boosting the 
Make in India initiative: Automotive, Electronics System 
Design and Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Roads 
and Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food Processing. 
These sectors are expected to attract multi-billion 
Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), expand at a faster pace, 
and reinforce growth in other connected segments. The 
water requirements of the new manufacturing units 
W
being incepted under Make in India must be met from 
what is left after meeting agriculture and domestic 
demands. According to the estimates by the United 
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) 
and World Bank, the GDP per cubic meter of fresh water 
withdrawal in India is quite low, to the tune of USD 4.0, 
while it is USD 674 in Singapore, USD 172 in Australia, 
USD 275 in Israel, and USD 25 in China. This scenario 
makes it important for industries to optimise water use 
and get the most out of each unit of water consumed. 
Automotive
The Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2026 envisions 
the automotive industry as the engine of Make in India 
and projects a four-fold growth from the existing USD 74 
billion to USD 300 billion. The sector will create about 
The author is an experienced professional in national level policy formulation, water resources management, operation of 
major and medium irrigation projects, and basin level planning. Presently working as Engineer in Irrigation Department, 
Govt. of Kerala. Email: arunlal.tkm@gmail.com
Make in India’s Super Star Sectors and 
Water Management
The Make in India initiative’s six super 
star sectors - Automotive, Electronics 
System Design and Manufacturing, 
Renewable Energy, Roads and 
Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food 
Processing-are expected to boost 
India’s economic growth. Water, the 
primary component of all development 
needs, has a substantial role in the 
growth of these sectors as well. 
Effective management and increased 
productivity of water are crucial to 
achieving the goals of Make in India 
and making them sustainable.
39 Kurukshetra       September  2023
65 million jobs and contribute over 12% to the country’s 
GDP. Many global car makers have already set up their 
manufacturing units in India. But on the other hand, this 
growth is going to create an additional demand for water 
resources. According to estimates by the automobile 
industry, producing a car uses 39000 gallons of water. 
As the automotive industry grows, there is a demand 
to produce more paint, which is another trigger for an 
increase in water consumption. In addition, the painting 
process needs a significant volume of water since most 
of those are water-based products, and another major 
share goes to the regular cleaning of equipment. Thus, 
it becomes imperative for industries to choose locations 
with sufficient and sustainable water availability. 
Sometimes it can even lead to conflicts among existing 
users of the water source. However, it is heartening to 
observe that major automotive manufacturers have 
been adopting sustainable water management practices 
and waterless solutions in their production and supply 
chains. For example, Hyundai’s 7,50,000 unit-per-annum 
plant in Sriperumbudur, Chennai, practises rainwater 
harvesting and maintains a zero discharge policy with 
100% recycling. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), in its 
facility in Bidadi, Bangalore, has no intake of freshwater 
for industrial purposes. Indian major Tata Motors has 
adopted a strategy to continuously improve its water 
use efficiency through process improvements, leakage 
elimination, and recycling waste water for re-use in its 
operations. Further, the car manufacturers introduced 
waterless car cleaning operations. In 2008, the US 
Energy Department published a Technology Roadmap 
for Energy Reduction in Automotive Manufacturing 
for the elimination or reduction of energy, water, 
and chemical requirements in paint pre-treatment. 
The above examples and practices are replicable and 
scalable as the automotive industry grows through 
Make in India initiatives.
Electronics System Design and Manufacturing
As the world becomes more and more technology-
driven and the country embraces the Digital India 
initiative, electronics device manufacturing plays a 
pivotal role in all sectors. It is anticipated that India 
will become the global hub for electronics system 
design and manufacturing in the near future. The 
Government’s National Policy on Electronics 2019 (NPE 
2019) recognises electronics hardware manufacturing 
as one of the important pillars of Make in India and 
proposes to achieve a turnover of USD 400 billion by 
2025. The Electronics manufacturing industry needs 
ultra-pure water at various stages of its processes 
and applications, such as the manufacture of thin-film 
devices, semiconductors, memory devices, vacuum 
devices, electrical devices, washing semiconductor 
components in manufacturing, cleaning, and other 
operations. The fact is that the generation of one unit 
of ultra-pure water requires multiple units of raw water, 
depending on the required quality. Standards of water 
quality vary based on different parameters, including the 
size of the manufacturing equipment and the stipulated 
quality of the product. Industry experts estimate that 
it takes approximately 2200 gallons of water, including 
1500 gallons of ultra-pure water, to create one integrated 
circuit on a wafer, and one computer can contain a 
multitude of those little wafers, or chips. This too points 
to the tight coupling between the availability of pure 
water and the success of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. 
Electronics industry has the potential to innovate to 
create ultra-pure water with minimum wastage, which 
is not only useful for the industry but for the generation 
of pure water for drinking purposes as well.
Renewable Energy
India is striving to achieve 50% of cumulative 
electric power installed from renewables by 2030. 
This includes power generation from solar, wind, 
hydropower, and green hydrogen. The sector allows 
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which stimulates 
the growth of manufacturing industries that make 
Kurukshetra       September  2023 40
components for power generation. Major global 
players will be investing in the sector. Renewable 
energy generation is also linked to water availability, 
both directly and indirectly. In solar energy, apart from 
the water required to manufacture its components, a 
significant volume is used for cleaning and maintenance, 
which is essential to ensuring the sustainability of solar 
plants. 1 to 5 million gallons of water is used to clean a 
100 MW capacity solar plant, industry reports suggest. 
However, there are innovations coming up to reduce 
water usage. One such example is the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology’s electrostatic repulsion method 
using a remotely operated electrode.
Hydrogen energy is directly linked to water, as 
its decomposition produces the required hydrogen. 
When the electricity used for hydrogen generation is 
sourced from renewable resources, that is, without 
emitting carbon dioxide, it is called green hydrogen. 
The Hon’ble Prime Minister has launched the National 
Hydrogen Mission on India’s 75
th
 Independence Day in 
2021. The Mission aims to make India a green hydrogen 
hub, which will help in meeting the target of producing 
5 million tonne of green hydrogen by 2030, and the 
related development of renewable energy capacity.
The ‘Make in India’ initiative has huge potential 
for investment in the hydropower sector. Since March 
2019, the Government of India has been recognising 
Large Hydro Power Projects (LHPPs), including Pumped 
Storage Projects (PSPs) with a capacity of more than 
25 MW as part of renewable energy. There is a wide 
scope for setting up mini and micro generators in canals 
and small streams that can contribute to the power 
pool with minimum investments. An increase in the 
penetration of small hydro will also boost the associated 
industries that are manufacturing small turbines and 
other required components. There is also a wide scope 
for innovation and improvement to help the industry 
produce more power with minimum head and water-
flow.
Roads and Highways
A robust road and highway network is essential for 
a stable economy, and its capacity needs to keep pace 
with economic growth. India has the second largest 
road network in the world, with about 63.32 lakh 
km. Investments in this sector were made only by the 
Government in the past. However, private participation 
is being encouraged with the amendment of the National 
Highways Act 1956, and the Ministry of Road Transport 
and Highways has laid down comprehensive guidelines 
for this. There are several incentives announced by the 
Government for private sector participation and foreign 
direct investment, such as the Government bearing 
the cost of feasibility studies, shifting of utilities, 
environmental clearance, etc.; a subsidy up to 40% 
of the project cost to make projects viable; duty-free 
import of high capacity and modern road construction 
equipment, the declaration of the road sector as an 
industry, and easier external commercial borrowing 
norms.
Roads and highways are the infrastructures that 
interact directly with water courses. So, it is important 
that the road and highway network be planned 
and implemented with due consideration for water 
conservation. The ‘Make in India’ initiative can go a 
long way in this direction by bringing in the strength 
of technology, such as the use of satellite images for 
integrated planning while fixing the alignment. In the 
past, certain routes were avoided due to the toughness 
of the geography. But now we have powerful tools and 
equipment that can drive through difficult terrain with 
Page 4


Kurukshetra       September  2023 38
Arunlal K.
ater, the most essential and 
indispensable component in 
any industrial process, is a vital 
factor that influences the decisions of investors and 
industrialists. The Make in India initiative, launched in 
September 2014 with the objective of promoting India 
as the most preferred global manufacturing destination, 
has a huge reliance on the effective use of water. There 
are six “super star sectors” identified as boosting the 
Make in India initiative: Automotive, Electronics System 
Design and Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Roads 
and Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food Processing. 
These sectors are expected to attract multi-billion 
Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), expand at a faster pace, 
and reinforce growth in other connected segments. The 
water requirements of the new manufacturing units 
W
being incepted under Make in India must be met from 
what is left after meeting agriculture and domestic 
demands. According to the estimates by the United 
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) 
and World Bank, the GDP per cubic meter of fresh water 
withdrawal in India is quite low, to the tune of USD 4.0, 
while it is USD 674 in Singapore, USD 172 in Australia, 
USD 275 in Israel, and USD 25 in China. This scenario 
makes it important for industries to optimise water use 
and get the most out of each unit of water consumed. 
Automotive
The Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2026 envisions 
the automotive industry as the engine of Make in India 
and projects a four-fold growth from the existing USD 74 
billion to USD 300 billion. The sector will create about 
The author is an experienced professional in national level policy formulation, water resources management, operation of 
major and medium irrigation projects, and basin level planning. Presently working as Engineer in Irrigation Department, 
Govt. of Kerala. Email: arunlal.tkm@gmail.com
Make in India’s Super Star Sectors and 
Water Management
The Make in India initiative’s six super 
star sectors - Automotive, Electronics 
System Design and Manufacturing, 
Renewable Energy, Roads and 
Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food 
Processing-are expected to boost 
India’s economic growth. Water, the 
primary component of all development 
needs, has a substantial role in the 
growth of these sectors as well. 
Effective management and increased 
productivity of water are crucial to 
achieving the goals of Make in India 
and making them sustainable.
39 Kurukshetra       September  2023
65 million jobs and contribute over 12% to the country’s 
GDP. Many global car makers have already set up their 
manufacturing units in India. But on the other hand, this 
growth is going to create an additional demand for water 
resources. According to estimates by the automobile 
industry, producing a car uses 39000 gallons of water. 
As the automotive industry grows, there is a demand 
to produce more paint, which is another trigger for an 
increase in water consumption. In addition, the painting 
process needs a significant volume of water since most 
of those are water-based products, and another major 
share goes to the regular cleaning of equipment. Thus, 
it becomes imperative for industries to choose locations 
with sufficient and sustainable water availability. 
Sometimes it can even lead to conflicts among existing 
users of the water source. However, it is heartening to 
observe that major automotive manufacturers have 
been adopting sustainable water management practices 
and waterless solutions in their production and supply 
chains. For example, Hyundai’s 7,50,000 unit-per-annum 
plant in Sriperumbudur, Chennai, practises rainwater 
harvesting and maintains a zero discharge policy with 
100% recycling. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), in its 
facility in Bidadi, Bangalore, has no intake of freshwater 
for industrial purposes. Indian major Tata Motors has 
adopted a strategy to continuously improve its water 
use efficiency through process improvements, leakage 
elimination, and recycling waste water for re-use in its 
operations. Further, the car manufacturers introduced 
waterless car cleaning operations. In 2008, the US 
Energy Department published a Technology Roadmap 
for Energy Reduction in Automotive Manufacturing 
for the elimination or reduction of energy, water, 
and chemical requirements in paint pre-treatment. 
The above examples and practices are replicable and 
scalable as the automotive industry grows through 
Make in India initiatives.
Electronics System Design and Manufacturing
As the world becomes more and more technology-
driven and the country embraces the Digital India 
initiative, electronics device manufacturing plays a 
pivotal role in all sectors. It is anticipated that India 
will become the global hub for electronics system 
design and manufacturing in the near future. The 
Government’s National Policy on Electronics 2019 (NPE 
2019) recognises electronics hardware manufacturing 
as one of the important pillars of Make in India and 
proposes to achieve a turnover of USD 400 billion by 
2025. The Electronics manufacturing industry needs 
ultra-pure water at various stages of its processes 
and applications, such as the manufacture of thin-film 
devices, semiconductors, memory devices, vacuum 
devices, electrical devices, washing semiconductor 
components in manufacturing, cleaning, and other 
operations. The fact is that the generation of one unit 
of ultra-pure water requires multiple units of raw water, 
depending on the required quality. Standards of water 
quality vary based on different parameters, including the 
size of the manufacturing equipment and the stipulated 
quality of the product. Industry experts estimate that 
it takes approximately 2200 gallons of water, including 
1500 gallons of ultra-pure water, to create one integrated 
circuit on a wafer, and one computer can contain a 
multitude of those little wafers, or chips. This too points 
to the tight coupling between the availability of pure 
water and the success of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. 
Electronics industry has the potential to innovate to 
create ultra-pure water with minimum wastage, which 
is not only useful for the industry but for the generation 
of pure water for drinking purposes as well.
Renewable Energy
India is striving to achieve 50% of cumulative 
electric power installed from renewables by 2030. 
This includes power generation from solar, wind, 
hydropower, and green hydrogen. The sector allows 
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which stimulates 
the growth of manufacturing industries that make 
Kurukshetra       September  2023 40
components for power generation. Major global 
players will be investing in the sector. Renewable 
energy generation is also linked to water availability, 
both directly and indirectly. In solar energy, apart from 
the water required to manufacture its components, a 
significant volume is used for cleaning and maintenance, 
which is essential to ensuring the sustainability of solar 
plants. 1 to 5 million gallons of water is used to clean a 
100 MW capacity solar plant, industry reports suggest. 
However, there are innovations coming up to reduce 
water usage. One such example is the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology’s electrostatic repulsion method 
using a remotely operated electrode.
Hydrogen energy is directly linked to water, as 
its decomposition produces the required hydrogen. 
When the electricity used for hydrogen generation is 
sourced from renewable resources, that is, without 
emitting carbon dioxide, it is called green hydrogen. 
The Hon’ble Prime Minister has launched the National 
Hydrogen Mission on India’s 75
th
 Independence Day in 
2021. The Mission aims to make India a green hydrogen 
hub, which will help in meeting the target of producing 
5 million tonne of green hydrogen by 2030, and the 
related development of renewable energy capacity.
The ‘Make in India’ initiative has huge potential 
for investment in the hydropower sector. Since March 
2019, the Government of India has been recognising 
Large Hydro Power Projects (LHPPs), including Pumped 
Storage Projects (PSPs) with a capacity of more than 
25 MW as part of renewable energy. There is a wide 
scope for setting up mini and micro generators in canals 
and small streams that can contribute to the power 
pool with minimum investments. An increase in the 
penetration of small hydro will also boost the associated 
industries that are manufacturing small turbines and 
other required components. There is also a wide scope 
for innovation and improvement to help the industry 
produce more power with minimum head and water-
flow.
Roads and Highways
A robust road and highway network is essential for 
a stable economy, and its capacity needs to keep pace 
with economic growth. India has the second largest 
road network in the world, with about 63.32 lakh 
km. Investments in this sector were made only by the 
Government in the past. However, private participation 
is being encouraged with the amendment of the National 
Highways Act 1956, and the Ministry of Road Transport 
and Highways has laid down comprehensive guidelines 
for this. There are several incentives announced by the 
Government for private sector participation and foreign 
direct investment, such as the Government bearing 
the cost of feasibility studies, shifting of utilities, 
environmental clearance, etc.; a subsidy up to 40% 
of the project cost to make projects viable; duty-free 
import of high capacity and modern road construction 
equipment, the declaration of the road sector as an 
industry, and easier external commercial borrowing 
norms.
Roads and highways are the infrastructures that 
interact directly with water courses. So, it is important 
that the road and highway network be planned 
and implemented with due consideration for water 
conservation. The ‘Make in India’ initiative can go a 
long way in this direction by bringing in the strength 
of technology, such as the use of satellite images for 
integrated planning while fixing the alignment. In the 
past, certain routes were avoided due to the toughness 
of the geography. But now we have powerful tools and 
equipment that can drive through difficult terrain with 
41 Kurukshetra       September  2023
minimal disturbance to nature and the environment. 
There is also scope for collaboration with water 
conservation efforts. One such example is the use 
of soil and silt extracted from the ponds in highway 
construction in that region, serving the dual purpose of 
ensuring the availability of resources for construction 
and environmental conservation.
Pharmaceuticals
India’s pharmaceutical industry is the third largest 
in the world in terms of volume, with a network of 3000 
drug companies and 10,500 manufacturing units. India 
manufactures about 60,000 different generic brands 
across 60 therapeutic categories and accounts for 20% 
of the global supply of generics. Its importance and 
reliance have increased globally due to the success in 
dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and the support 
extended to many other nations. The World’s first 
intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, iNNCOVACC, marks the 
glory of research and development in our pharmaceutical 
industry. Estimates suggest that India’s pharmaceutical 
industry is expected to grow to USD 130 billion by 2030. 
Further, our export of medical devices is expected to 
reach USD 10 billion by 2025. The Government has 
launched Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes 
for medical device with financial incentives worth USD 
400 million to boost domestic production. Recognising 
the huge potential to contribute to the objectives of 
public health by making quality products available, 
the National Medical Devices Policy was launched in 
May 2023 with a vision to place the Indian medical 
devices sector on an accelerated growth path with a 
patient-centric approach to meet the evolving healthcare 
needs of patients by building an innovative and globally 
competitive industry in India. It is also hoped that India 
will emerge as the global leader in the manufacturing and 
innovation of medical devices by achieving a 10-12% share 
of the expanding global market over the next 25 years.
The availability of pure water of high quality is 
inevitable for pharmaceutical industry in almost all 
stages of manufacturing cycle. According to a study 
published by the World Wide Fund (WWF), 80% of 
the top 30 global pharmaceutical companies list 
water as one of their top sustainability focus areas, 
and 83% of the companies regularly undertake water 
risk assessments. However, only 30% of the top 30 
global pharmaceutical companies publicly mention 
undertaking water activities within the Research and 
Development stage of the value chain, either to reduce 
impacts of manufacturing or product use by patients. 
This needs to be improved since water is a local resource 
and its deficit has long-standing social impacts.
Food Processing
The food processing industry helps reduce the gap 
between agriculture and other industry sectors. This 
is one of the prominent means of enhancing farmers’ 
income through value addition and market linkage. It 
Page 5


Kurukshetra       September  2023 38
Arunlal K.
ater, the most essential and 
indispensable component in 
any industrial process, is a vital 
factor that influences the decisions of investors and 
industrialists. The Make in India initiative, launched in 
September 2014 with the objective of promoting India 
as the most preferred global manufacturing destination, 
has a huge reliance on the effective use of water. There 
are six “super star sectors” identified as boosting the 
Make in India initiative: Automotive, Electronics System 
Design and Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Roads 
and Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food Processing. 
These sectors are expected to attract multi-billion 
Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), expand at a faster pace, 
and reinforce growth in other connected segments. The 
water requirements of the new manufacturing units 
W
being incepted under Make in India must be met from 
what is left after meeting agriculture and domestic 
demands. According to the estimates by the United 
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) 
and World Bank, the GDP per cubic meter of fresh water 
withdrawal in India is quite low, to the tune of USD 4.0, 
while it is USD 674 in Singapore, USD 172 in Australia, 
USD 275 in Israel, and USD 25 in China. This scenario 
makes it important for industries to optimise water use 
and get the most out of each unit of water consumed. 
Automotive
The Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2026 envisions 
the automotive industry as the engine of Make in India 
and projects a four-fold growth from the existing USD 74 
billion to USD 300 billion. The sector will create about 
The author is an experienced professional in national level policy formulation, water resources management, operation of 
major and medium irrigation projects, and basin level planning. Presently working as Engineer in Irrigation Department, 
Govt. of Kerala. Email: arunlal.tkm@gmail.com
Make in India’s Super Star Sectors and 
Water Management
The Make in India initiative’s six super 
star sectors - Automotive, Electronics 
System Design and Manufacturing, 
Renewable Energy, Roads and 
Highways, Pharmaceuticals, and Food 
Processing-are expected to boost 
India’s economic growth. Water, the 
primary component of all development 
needs, has a substantial role in the 
growth of these sectors as well. 
Effective management and increased 
productivity of water are crucial to 
achieving the goals of Make in India 
and making them sustainable.
39 Kurukshetra       September  2023
65 million jobs and contribute over 12% to the country’s 
GDP. Many global car makers have already set up their 
manufacturing units in India. But on the other hand, this 
growth is going to create an additional demand for water 
resources. According to estimates by the automobile 
industry, producing a car uses 39000 gallons of water. 
As the automotive industry grows, there is a demand 
to produce more paint, which is another trigger for an 
increase in water consumption. In addition, the painting 
process needs a significant volume of water since most 
of those are water-based products, and another major 
share goes to the regular cleaning of equipment. Thus, 
it becomes imperative for industries to choose locations 
with sufficient and sustainable water availability. 
Sometimes it can even lead to conflicts among existing 
users of the water source. However, it is heartening to 
observe that major automotive manufacturers have 
been adopting sustainable water management practices 
and waterless solutions in their production and supply 
chains. For example, Hyundai’s 7,50,000 unit-per-annum 
plant in Sriperumbudur, Chennai, practises rainwater 
harvesting and maintains a zero discharge policy with 
100% recycling. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), in its 
facility in Bidadi, Bangalore, has no intake of freshwater 
for industrial purposes. Indian major Tata Motors has 
adopted a strategy to continuously improve its water 
use efficiency through process improvements, leakage 
elimination, and recycling waste water for re-use in its 
operations. Further, the car manufacturers introduced 
waterless car cleaning operations. In 2008, the US 
Energy Department published a Technology Roadmap 
for Energy Reduction in Automotive Manufacturing 
for the elimination or reduction of energy, water, 
and chemical requirements in paint pre-treatment. 
The above examples and practices are replicable and 
scalable as the automotive industry grows through 
Make in India initiatives.
Electronics System Design and Manufacturing
As the world becomes more and more technology-
driven and the country embraces the Digital India 
initiative, electronics device manufacturing plays a 
pivotal role in all sectors. It is anticipated that India 
will become the global hub for electronics system 
design and manufacturing in the near future. The 
Government’s National Policy on Electronics 2019 (NPE 
2019) recognises electronics hardware manufacturing 
as one of the important pillars of Make in India and 
proposes to achieve a turnover of USD 400 billion by 
2025. The Electronics manufacturing industry needs 
ultra-pure water at various stages of its processes 
and applications, such as the manufacture of thin-film 
devices, semiconductors, memory devices, vacuum 
devices, electrical devices, washing semiconductor 
components in manufacturing, cleaning, and other 
operations. The fact is that the generation of one unit 
of ultra-pure water requires multiple units of raw water, 
depending on the required quality. Standards of water 
quality vary based on different parameters, including the 
size of the manufacturing equipment and the stipulated 
quality of the product. Industry experts estimate that 
it takes approximately 2200 gallons of water, including 
1500 gallons of ultra-pure water, to create one integrated 
circuit on a wafer, and one computer can contain a 
multitude of those little wafers, or chips. This too points 
to the tight coupling between the availability of pure 
water and the success of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. 
Electronics industry has the potential to innovate to 
create ultra-pure water with minimum wastage, which 
is not only useful for the industry but for the generation 
of pure water for drinking purposes as well.
Renewable Energy
India is striving to achieve 50% of cumulative 
electric power installed from renewables by 2030. 
This includes power generation from solar, wind, 
hydropower, and green hydrogen. The sector allows 
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which stimulates 
the growth of manufacturing industries that make 
Kurukshetra       September  2023 40
components for power generation. Major global 
players will be investing in the sector. Renewable 
energy generation is also linked to water availability, 
both directly and indirectly. In solar energy, apart from 
the water required to manufacture its components, a 
significant volume is used for cleaning and maintenance, 
which is essential to ensuring the sustainability of solar 
plants. 1 to 5 million gallons of water is used to clean a 
100 MW capacity solar plant, industry reports suggest. 
However, there are innovations coming up to reduce 
water usage. One such example is the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology’s electrostatic repulsion method 
using a remotely operated electrode.
Hydrogen energy is directly linked to water, as 
its decomposition produces the required hydrogen. 
When the electricity used for hydrogen generation is 
sourced from renewable resources, that is, without 
emitting carbon dioxide, it is called green hydrogen. 
The Hon’ble Prime Minister has launched the National 
Hydrogen Mission on India’s 75
th
 Independence Day in 
2021. The Mission aims to make India a green hydrogen 
hub, which will help in meeting the target of producing 
5 million tonne of green hydrogen by 2030, and the 
related development of renewable energy capacity.
The ‘Make in India’ initiative has huge potential 
for investment in the hydropower sector. Since March 
2019, the Government of India has been recognising 
Large Hydro Power Projects (LHPPs), including Pumped 
Storage Projects (PSPs) with a capacity of more than 
25 MW as part of renewable energy. There is a wide 
scope for setting up mini and micro generators in canals 
and small streams that can contribute to the power 
pool with minimum investments. An increase in the 
penetration of small hydro will also boost the associated 
industries that are manufacturing small turbines and 
other required components. There is also a wide scope 
for innovation and improvement to help the industry 
produce more power with minimum head and water-
flow.
Roads and Highways
A robust road and highway network is essential for 
a stable economy, and its capacity needs to keep pace 
with economic growth. India has the second largest 
road network in the world, with about 63.32 lakh 
km. Investments in this sector were made only by the 
Government in the past. However, private participation 
is being encouraged with the amendment of the National 
Highways Act 1956, and the Ministry of Road Transport 
and Highways has laid down comprehensive guidelines 
for this. There are several incentives announced by the 
Government for private sector participation and foreign 
direct investment, such as the Government bearing 
the cost of feasibility studies, shifting of utilities, 
environmental clearance, etc.; a subsidy up to 40% 
of the project cost to make projects viable; duty-free 
import of high capacity and modern road construction 
equipment, the declaration of the road sector as an 
industry, and easier external commercial borrowing 
norms.
Roads and highways are the infrastructures that 
interact directly with water courses. So, it is important 
that the road and highway network be planned 
and implemented with due consideration for water 
conservation. The ‘Make in India’ initiative can go a 
long way in this direction by bringing in the strength 
of technology, such as the use of satellite images for 
integrated planning while fixing the alignment. In the 
past, certain routes were avoided due to the toughness 
of the geography. But now we have powerful tools and 
equipment that can drive through difficult terrain with 
41 Kurukshetra       September  2023
minimal disturbance to nature and the environment. 
There is also scope for collaboration with water 
conservation efforts. One such example is the use 
of soil and silt extracted from the ponds in highway 
construction in that region, serving the dual purpose of 
ensuring the availability of resources for construction 
and environmental conservation.
Pharmaceuticals
India’s pharmaceutical industry is the third largest 
in the world in terms of volume, with a network of 3000 
drug companies and 10,500 manufacturing units. India 
manufactures about 60,000 different generic brands 
across 60 therapeutic categories and accounts for 20% 
of the global supply of generics. Its importance and 
reliance have increased globally due to the success in 
dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and the support 
extended to many other nations. The World’s first 
intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, iNNCOVACC, marks the 
glory of research and development in our pharmaceutical 
industry. Estimates suggest that India’s pharmaceutical 
industry is expected to grow to USD 130 billion by 2030. 
Further, our export of medical devices is expected to 
reach USD 10 billion by 2025. The Government has 
launched Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes 
for medical device with financial incentives worth USD 
400 million to boost domestic production. Recognising 
the huge potential to contribute to the objectives of 
public health by making quality products available, 
the National Medical Devices Policy was launched in 
May 2023 with a vision to place the Indian medical 
devices sector on an accelerated growth path with a 
patient-centric approach to meet the evolving healthcare 
needs of patients by building an innovative and globally 
competitive industry in India. It is also hoped that India 
will emerge as the global leader in the manufacturing and 
innovation of medical devices by achieving a 10-12% share 
of the expanding global market over the next 25 years.
The availability of pure water of high quality is 
inevitable for pharmaceutical industry in almost all 
stages of manufacturing cycle. According to a study 
published by the World Wide Fund (WWF), 80% of 
the top 30 global pharmaceutical companies list 
water as one of their top sustainability focus areas, 
and 83% of the companies regularly undertake water 
risk assessments. However, only 30% of the top 30 
global pharmaceutical companies publicly mention 
undertaking water activities within the Research and 
Development stage of the value chain, either to reduce 
impacts of manufacturing or product use by patients. 
This needs to be improved since water is a local resource 
and its deficit has long-standing social impacts.
Food Processing
The food processing industry helps reduce the gap 
between agriculture and other industry sectors. This 
is one of the prominent means of enhancing farmers’ 
income through value addition and market linkage. It 
Kurukshetra       September  2023 42
also plays a vital role in public health by reducing the 
nutritional gap through fortified food. Under ‘Make 
in India’, the Ministry of Food Processing is assisting 
in establishing integrated cold chain projects and 
Mega Food Parks. While the cold chain project helps 
farmers preserve perishable products, each food park 
creates 5,000 jobs and benefits 25,000 farmers. The 
Government’s PLI scheme for the food processing 
industry has an outlay of INR 10900 crore, which will 
be implemented over a six-year period from 2021-22 
to 2026-27. It is expected that the implementation of 
the scheme would facilitate the expansion of processing 
capacity to generate processed food output of INR 
33,494 crore and create employment for nearly 2.5 lakh 
people by the year 2026-27. Another drive from the 
Government is the Ministry of Food Processing Industry 
(MoFPI)’s Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food 
processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, with an 
outlay of INR 10,000 crore. This aims to enhance the 
competitiveness of existing individual microenterprises 
in the unorganised segment of the food processing 
industry and promote the formalisation of the sector. 
Quite obviously, water is an integral component in the 
operation of the food processing industry. According 
to UNFAO’s report, out of the 90% of water consumed 
in agriculture, 70% is for food production, and 20% is 
for food processing. This indicates the scope of process 
improvement in the sector to bring down the water 
intensity.
Way Forward
An enabling environment to start and run the 
business is crucial to the success of ‘Make in India’. 
As part of enhancing the ease of doing business, the 
Government has simplified the regulatory mechanisms 
so that businesses are not facing unnecessary hassles. 
However, a cautious approach is to be followed while 
easing the water and environment related norms. Make 
in India can deal with this by setting a paradigm shift 
through the circular use of water and a water-neutral 
approach. While the circular use encourages reuse 
and recycling of fresh water drawn, the water-neutral 
approach advises optimisation of process to bring down 
the water requirement as low as possible. As India 
regains its fame as an innovation hub, industries will 
invent water-neutral solutions that could be replicated 
across sectors. NITI Aayog, the policy think-tank of the 
Government of India, has recently published a document 
with directional inputs on promoting and standardising 
water-neutral practices among Indian industries. The 
document suggests that the inception of new industries 
should be such that it does not increase the withdrawal 
of water within a hydrological unit or a watershed. This 
would only be possible through innovative processes 
and collective efforts across sectors. We must also 
be cautious that the faster growth of innovation and 
manufacturing does not inculcate the habit of discarding 
products before their lifecycle for want of new ones, 
and hampers the productivity of resources, including 
water. The idea of ‘producing more with less’ should be 
the unwavering guiding principle behind the success of 
‘Make in India’.  ?