Hardware trading body along with Asus, Dell and other members sends letter to IT ministry requesting PLI for these sectors

The industry body representing major electronics manufacturers including Asus, Dell, Google, Canon and others, the Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT), has asked the government to introduce initiatives such as a production-linked incentive (PLI) program for wearables and wearable devices electronic parts.

The attractiveness of MAIT comes amid MeitY’s plans to introduce similar PLI schemes for the electronics ecosystem. Earlier, senior officials had reportedly said that the government would initiate a consultation process on a possible PLI scheme for electronic components. However, officials had earlier noted that the consultation process would take place after the conclusion of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

What MAIT wrote in its letter to the IT ministry MAIT sent a letter addressed to S. Krishnan (seen by ET), Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). In the letter, the trade body said these incentives would not only boost exports but also improve large-scale production capacity and could even attract investment in the electronics sector.


In the letter, Rajkumar Rishi, president of MAIT, wrote: “For PLI components in particular, we could consider creating one PLI for electronics, rather than splitting them into sectors to build electronics. Past experience suggests that focusing solely on one sector may have limited the effectiveness of the PLI mobile component. The emergence of global value chains and India’s PLI and Make in India program has led to significant growth in the country’s global trade, particularly in the electronics and ICT industries. At MAIT, we believe that for India to seamlessly integrate into global supply chains, aligning regulations that encourage global leaders to invest and enable local companies to participate is essential. As more and more companies consider investing in Indian manufacturing, we anticipate faster growth in production, exports and the overall economy. “One of the top industry priorities listed in the MAIT Industry Recommendations for MeitY and related ministries is to develop a robust cybersecurity strategy for a new India.”

The industry also argued that the PLI scheme for hearing and wearable devices would help meet the government’s ambitious export targets, the industry body added.

Apart from this, the industry body also suggested that the upcoming cybersecurity strategy should be aligned with the legal or regulatory framework of key international partners. This will support the creation of more trusted and secure international, cyber-secure supply chains and collective security, MAIT noted.