Electronics, principally mobile devices and telecom equipment, were the cornerstones of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” policy to reduce the burgeoning import bill on these items. To this end, the government announced in 2017 an ambitious phased manufacturing programme (PMP) to transform India into a major hub for domestic mobile device production and increase value addition by creating a large component vendor base. Backing this was a punitive import duty on components that were not manufactured in India during the financial year set under the policy.
To boost “Make in India” the government also offered preference to companies