Recent Current Affairs related to Make in India

The Government of India has constituted 6 sector-specific working groups to identify up to 100 products to enhance domestic manufacturing and decrease import dependency.

These working groups are chaired by Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I).

The Government of Odisha has signed an MoU with Intel Corporation and 3DGS Inc to establish an Advanced Packaging Glass Core Substrate Manufacturing Facility in the Bhubaneswar–Khurda region.

The project involves an estimated investment of $3.3 billion, making it one of the largest high-technology manufacturing investments in India.

NIBE Ltd (NIBE Ltd) has successfully conducted trials of its Vayu Astra-1 Loitering Munition (LM), which features a 100-km operational range. The trials were conducted at Pokhran in Rajasthan and Joshimath (Malari) in Uttarakhand under the No-Cost, No-Commitment (NCNC) model.

The Vayu Astra-1 is based on an Israeli-designed loitering munition system developed in collaboration with Elbit Systems. Under the NCNC model, NIBE Ltd managed the technology, conducted the demonstrations, and bore all operational and technical validation costs.

The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has launched the official online “Investors Support” portal.

The portal serves as a single-window digital platform designed to streamline communication and enhance confidence for global and domestic companies entering the semiconductor ecosystem of India. The platform also enables project tracking by providing comprehensive overviews of approved ventures under the national “Semicon India Programme”.

Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) has partnered with the France-based Exail Technologies to supply advanced Unmanned Mine Countermeasure (MCM) systems for the Indian Navy (IN). Under the agreement, L&T will serve as the prime contractor for the Indian Navy’s programme to build 12 Mine Counter Measure Vessels, with Exail Technologies acting as the technology partner.

DY Patil International University (DYPIU) in Akurdi, Pune (Maharashtra) has signed an MoU with the French software corporation Dassault Systèmes to establish an advanced Digital Engineering and Digital Manufacturing Experience Centre on the campus of the university.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has introduced an updated Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to expedite the clearance of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals. The new SOP identifies 40 sub-sectors, where FDI proposals from countries sharing land borders with India will be processed within 60 days.

The expedited timeline applies to investments from China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Afghanistan. These 40 sub-sectors are grouped into 6 primary segments: capital goods manufacturing, electronic capital goods and components, advanced battery components, polysilicon and wafers, rare earth processing, and rare earth permanent magnets.

The Ministry of Power has revised the “Make in India” procurement norms for High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) substations of the Line Commutated Converter (LCC) type.

The updated guidelines introduce a phased roadmap to achieve a minimum local content (MLC) of 60% by 2035, replacing the previous uniform 60% requirement. The MLC targets for HVDC LCC type substations under EPC or turnkey projects are set at 30% by FY28 and 40% by FY30. The targets will subsequently increase to 50% by FY32 and reach the final 60% by FY35.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship 'Achal', a new-generation “Adamya-class” Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV), at the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Vasco, Goa. The vessel will be stationed at Vadinar, Gujarat.

It is to be noted that the ship is the 5th of the eight FPVs being indigenously built by the GSL for the ICG. The 51 metre long vessel, featuring over 50% indigenous content, is powered by two 3,000 kW diesel engines. It has a maximum speed of 27 knots and an operational endurance of 1,500 nautical miles.