New Delhi, Oct 14: The Congress on Monday sharply criticized the Modi government’s flagship ‘Make in India’ initiative, calling it a collection of empty promises or “jumlas,” and alleging that it has transformed into “Fake in India.”
Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh pointed out that the ambitious goals set when the program was launched in 2014 have fallen flat, claiming that economic policy-making over the past decade has been far from stable, predictable, or sensible.
Ramesh, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), provided a status update on the four key objectives the Modi government had outlined during the program’s inception.
“Jumla One: Increase the growth rate of Indian industry to 12-14% per year. Reality: Since 2014, the annual growth rate for manufacturing has averaged only around 5.2%,” he stated.
“Jumla Two: Create 100 million industrial jobs by 2022. Reality: The number of manufacturing workers has actually fallen from 51.3 million in 2017 to 35.65 million in 2022-23,” Ramesh added.
Highlighting the third goal, he said, “Jumla Three: Increase the share of the manufacturing sector to 25% of GDP by 2022, later revised to 2025. Reality: The share of manufacturing in India’s Gross Value Added (GVA) has dropped from 18.1% in 2011-12 to just 14.3% in 2022-23.”
Ramesh’s final critique, “Jumla Four,” addressed the aim to make India the “new factory of the world,” replacing China. “Far from replacing China, we have become even more dependent on it. Imports from China have risen from 11% in 2014 to 15% in recent years,” he remarked.
Further, Ramesh accused the Modi government of creating an economic atmosphere filled with fear and uncertainty, discouraging private investment, while alleging that one or two big business conglomerates close to the government have been unfairly favored. “Make in India has simply become Fake in India,” Ramesh charged.
On the program’s 10th anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lauded the ‘Make in India’ initiative, calling it a transformative movement that has turned India into a powerhouse of manufacturing and innovation, asserting that “Bharat is unstoppable.” However, the Congress’s sharp critique suggests the party sees the initiative as a failure that has failed to live up to its lofty promises.
