Says, took multiple steps to strengthen manufacturing sector

PTI New Delhi

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday brushed aside the Opposition's criticism of the 'Make in India' scheme, saying it is yielding "good results" as the government has taken multiple steps to strengthen the manufacturing sector, including defence production.

Replying to a debate on the supplementary demands for grants and the Manipur budget in the Rajya Sabha, she said that production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes have yielded good results, as they have so far attracted investments of Rs 1.5 lakh crore and generated nearly 9.5 lakh employment opportunities.

Congress leaders take vicarious pleasure in saying, 'Make in India is dead'. It was this 'Make in India', which made India's defence sector become a net exporter. They have had a hypocritical approach towards Make in India, Sitharaman said.

"Make in India has actually given us good results. We took step after step, after step, to strengthen the manufacturing of this country," she added. The Make in India initiative was launched on September 25, 2014, to facilitate investment, foster innovation, build best-in-class infrastructure, and make India a hub for manufacturing, design, and innovation.

"Believe in Make In India. It is giving you results," the minister informed the House citing data to support her point. She attacked Congress for taking a lot of time in formulating the national manufacturing policy and for "hurriedly" signing free trade agreements with several countries, which were now being renegotiated and modified.

They were in power between 2004-14. It was in 2011 that they came up with a 'National Manufacturing Policy'. It took them 7 long years to only make a policy rather than implement it, she noted. "You claim that Make in India is not working. Doesn't that mean that the national manufacturing policy itself was flawed. Are you suggesting that? It is your policy. But it remained a policy, it didn't find an action group. And when we make it an actionable policy, we bring in Make in India, they had problems...," she said.