Apple could expand its manufacturing operations in India beyond iPhones to products such as MacBooks and iPads, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while launching the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS).
Asked whether Apple could manufacture MacBooks and iPads in India, Vaishnaw replied, “yes”.
His comments came as the government launched the Rs 62,500-crore scheme to strengthen India’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem and encourage greater localisation, product design and research capabilities.
The five-year MPMS will run from FY2026-27 to FY2030-31 and has two segments covering incentives for mobile-phone manufacturing and support for Indian mobile-phone brands.
Vaishnaw said the government had identified three potential Indian smartphone companies that could emerge over the next 10-14 months. The companies have been asked to develop products and designs for the market segments in which they plan to compete.
The scheme requires Indian brands to be incorporated in India, own their intellectual property and trademarks in the country, have management control with Indian citizens and maintain more than 51 per cent Indian citizen shareholding. They must also have in-house research and development and design capabilities in India.
Indian brands will receive a base incentive of 5 per cent, with an additional incentive of up to 1.5 per cent for domestic sourcing and 3 per cent for eligible Indian design and R&D.
Manufacturers can also receive up to 1.5 per cent additional incentive for sourcing components such as display modules, camera modules, enclosures, batteries and USB cables domestically.
Government data presented at the launch showed electronics production has increased sevenfold since FY2014-15, while electronics exports have risen 11-fold. Mobile-phone production has increased 33-fold and exports 166-fold. India now manufactures 99.2 per cent of the mobile phones used domestically.
Under MPMS, the government is targeting cumulative mobile-phone production of around Rs 39 lakh crore and exports of around Rs 15 lakh crore over five years. The scheme is also expected to generate 60,000 direct jobs in mobile manufacturing and allied sectors.