The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 2026-02-03

Make in India for Vikasit Bharat: Policy Instruments, Achievements and Challenges

Key Details

• Make in India is a major initiative by the Government of India, started in September 2014.
• The goal is to make India a global hub for manufacturing.
• Focus on 25 key sectors like:
• Electronics
• Defence manufacturing
• Automobiles
• Pharmaceuticals
• Textiles
• Renewable energy
• Core aspects of the initiative include:
• Improving the Ease of Doing Business through simplification and deregulation.
• Liberalising Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in crucial manufacturing sectors.
• Promoting skill development through Skill India and partnerships between industry and academia.
• Developing infrastructure such as industrial corridors and logistics parks.
• Emphasising domestic value addition, job creation, and enhancing export competitiveness.

Core Pillars

1. Ease of Doing Business

• Simplification of laws and procedures
• Online approvals and time-bound clearances
• Reduction in regulatory burden

2. Infrastructure Development

• Development of industrial corridors and manufacturing clusters
• Improved logistics, ports, highways, and freight corridors

3. Skill Development

• Industry-linked skilling programmes
• Focus on manufacturing-specific and advanced skills

4. Innovation and Technology

• Promotion of R&D and indigenous technology
• Adoption of Industry 4.0, automation, and digital manufacturing

Priority Sectors

Covers 25 strategic sectors, including:

• Electronics and semiconductors
• Automobiles and auto components
• Defence manufacturing
• Pharmaceuticals and medical devices
• Textiles and apparel
• Renewable energy
• Chemicals and petrochemicals

Sector-specific policies designed to attract targeted investments

Major Policy Instruments

A. Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme

• Provides financial incentives based on incremental production and sales
• Aims to achieve economies of scale and global cost competitiveness
• Encourages domestic value addition instead of import-dependent assembly
• Targets sunrise sectors such as electronics, semiconductors, EVs, pharmaceuticals, and solar modules
• Helps integrate Indian firms into global value chains

B. FDI Liberalisation

• Increased FDI limits and automatic route approvals in manufacturing sectors
• Liberalisation in defence, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and automobiles
• Enhances technology transfer, managerial expertise, and capital inflows
• Improves India's attractiveness as a manufacturing destination

C. Industrial Corridors and Manufacturing Clusters

• Development of industrial corridors with multimodal connectivity
• Creation of integrated townships offering plug-and-play infrastructure
• Reduces logistics costs and improves supply-chain efficiency
• Promotes cluster-based manufacturing and regional industrialisation

D. MSME Support Measures

• Credit support through guarantee schemes and easier access to finance
• Focus on technology upgradation and quality improvement
• Market access via government procurement and export promotion
• Integration of MSMEs with large manufacturing value chains

Achievements So Far

• Significant growth in electronics manufacturing, particularly mobile phones
• Rise in defence production and steady increase in defence exports
• Improved investment climate and higher investor confidence
• Strengthening of domestic manufacturing ecosystems in selected sectors
• Enhanced recognition of India as an emerging global manufacturing hub

Challenges

• High logistics and input costs reducing cost competitiveness
• Land acquisition issues and complexities in labour regulations
• Persistent skill mismatch between industry needs and workforce capabilities
• Limited deep value addition, with dependence on imported components
• Uneven implementation of reforms and policies across states

Way Forward

• Deepen manufacturing ecosystems by strengthening MSME participation in global value chains
• Scale up PLI schemes with focus on high-technology and sunrise sectors
• Invest in skilling and reskilling aligned with Industry 4.0 requirements
• Improve logistics efficiency through multimodal transport and digital platforms
• Promote green manufacturing to align with climate commitments
• Strengthen state-level reforms for faster land, labour, and approval processes

Conclusion

Make in India is central to India's vision of becoming a self-reliant and globally competitive manufacturing economy. By promoting investment, innovation, infrastructure, and skill development, the initiative strengthens domestic production, reduces import dependence, and creates employment. Its long-term success depends on consistent reforms, technology adoption, MSME integration, and global value-chain participation, ensuring sustainable and inclusive industrial growth.

Supreme Court Judgment on Menstrual Health

Key Details

• The Supreme Court has recognised menstrual health and hygiene as a crucial aspect of the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
• The judgment takes a rights-based approach, linking menstruation to bodily autonomy, equality, and human dignity.
• The Court emphasised that bodily autonomy cannot be exercised without access to essential facilities like functional toilets, clean water, menstrual products, and hygienic disposal systems.
• The State is responsible for ensuring universal access to these facilities and eliminating the stigma, stereotyping, and humiliation faced by menstruating girls.
• The lack of access to these facilities is termed "menstrual poverty," which hinders girls' right to education and violates their equality with male students.
• The Court directed all States and Union Territories to provide functional, gender-segregated toilets in schools and prescribed punitive action for non-compliance.
• In government schools, the State will be held accountable for failures, while private schools may face derecognition for non-compliance.

Directions Issued by the Court

• All States and Union Territories must ensure the availability of functional, gender-segregated toilets in every school.
• Punitive measures will be implemented for non-compliance.
• The State will be held accountable for lapses in government schools.
• Private schools may face derecognition if they fail to comply with the Court's directives.

Ground Reality and Structural Gaps

• According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), there has been an improvement in hygienic menstrual practices among women aged 15-24 years, with 77.3% reporting access to hygienic practices. However, nearly one-fourth still lack access, highlighting a gendered inequity in health infrastructure and resources.
• Government initiatives, such as the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, have issued guidelines on menstrual hygiene management, but implementation remains uneven and episodic.
• Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have played a crucial role in filling gaps, but their efforts are fragmented and insufficient to dismantle the entrenched social stigma around menstruation at scale.
• The Supreme Court judgment presents a historic opportunity for systemic and sustained action to address these issues.

Way Forward

• Menstrual hygiene should be institutionalised as a core public health and education priority, rather than a project-based intervention.
• Dedicated budgetary allocations are necessary for menstrual products, sanitation infrastructure, and waste management.
• Menstrual health education should be integrated into school curricula to normalise conversations around menstruation and reduce stigma.
• Monitoring and accountability mechanisms for schools, both public and private, need to be strengthened.
• Inter-ministerial coordination between health, education, sanitation, and women & child development departments should be promoted to ensure a unified approach.

Conclusion

• The Supreme Court's judgment represents a significant shift from welfare to rights-based governance in menstrual health.
• By linking menstruation to dignity, autonomy, and education, the Court has placed a clear responsibility on the State to act.
• With sustained policy commitment and social reform, the aim is to ensure that a period does not end a girl's education but is a normal part of life.