“Make in India Needs More Than Policy”: Rupa Dutta on Manufacturing Bottlenecks

As the trade war intensifies following US President Trump’s reciprocal tariff policies, India has once again pressed the pedal on boosting its domestic manufacturing sector. However, the challenges related to land, labour, capital, and technology continue to plague the sector. Rupa Dutta, former Principal Economic Adviser to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, sheds light upon these issues. PM Modi has underlined the need to transform India into a manufacturing hub with the mantra—Make in India. FM Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget, announced the "National Manufacturing Mission" to augment the "Make in India" programme by supporting industries such as MSME. Expanding manufacturing will boost employment and growth. Even as multinational companies eye India amid the China Plus One policy, policymakers must ease the on-ground hassles manufacturers face.