New Delhi [India], April 14 (ANI): The BJP party, in its Lok Sabha manifesto released on Sunday, laid an ambition to make India a global manufacturing hub. The BJP-led government at the Centre has been aggressively campaigning with global corporates to invest in India. Over the past ten years, in its two five-year terms, BJP said it had made significant progress in the manufacturing sector, including the launch of series of programmes like Make in India, Production Linked-Incentive, and simplification of compliances to expand manufacturing.

“We will further harness the potential of manufacturing in creating employment opportunities and expanding economic activity,” BJP manifesto read. “We believe that our talent in research and design can be best complimented by expanding the manufacturing sector. We also understand the need for self-reliance and resilience in global value chains,” said BJP, asserting that the party will make all efforts to develop the country a manufacturing hub.

Under the Make in India programme, manufacturing has emerged as a major economic sector with a notable success in electronics, defence, mobile, and automobiles. “We will vastly expand domestic defence manufacturing and exports of Made in Bharat defence equipment,” BJP said.

In the last ten years, the BJP said the government run by it established a USD 100+ billion electronics manufacturing industry. India is a major engineering and design services hub in the world with many complex products being designed here. “We will build on this strength to become a major Product Nation by combining our strength in product design services with manufacturing,” BJP said.

Based on the principles of PM-Gatishakti, BJP party said government under it will develop industrial cities in different industrial corridors for balanced regional development. “This shall promote industrialisation of backward regions of the country,” it said.

Further, it will launch an initiative to foster balanced regional development across all districts of the country. Brand, promotion and exports of One District One Product (ODOP) products will be encouraged under the initiative. In its manifesto, the party promises to promote manufacturing, research, and development in the railway sector to make the country a leading global railway manufacturing hub.

Aiming to make India a global aviation manufacturing and MRO hub, BJP said it will will bring a commercial aircraft manufacturing ecosystem. “For this we will design a Policy for Aerospace Manufacturing in the country and try to develop our own passenger aircraft.” For pharma sector, it asserted that it will expand Research Linked Incentive schemes, encouraging companies to invest in research for new drugs, chemical entities and new biological entities. (ANI)

BJP manifesto promises to elevate India as global toy manufacturing hub

New Delhi [India], April 14 (ANI): In its election manifesto for 2024, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has pledged to propel India into the forefront of the global toy manufacturing industry, leveraging the nation’s skilled workforce and rich cultural heritage to produce innovative and high-quality toys.
The party released its “Sankalp Patra” (Election manifesto) on Sunday at its headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The BJP manifesto states “We will transform Bharat into the global hub for toy manufacturing, leveraging our skilled workforce and rich cultural heritage to produce innovative and high-quality toys”.
This promise by BJP comes amidst a notable transformation in the Indian toy industry, as revealed by data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Over the past few years, the sector has witnessed a remarkable decrease in imports and a substantial increase in exports, reflecting the success of initiatives aimed at promoting indigenous manufacturing and bolstering exports.
According to the data, imports of toys have decreased by 52%, while exports have surged by an impressive 239% from FY 2014-15 to FY 2022-23. This shift marks the major steps by the local manufacturers to be competitive at the global stage in the toy industry.

One such measure includes the significant increase in customs duty on toy imports, raised from 20% to 70% in recent years. This move seeks to safeguard the interests of domestic manufacturers and foster fair competition in the market.

Additionally, the government has mandated Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification for all toys, ensuring adherence to stringent safety and quality standards. This certification enhances the reputation of Indian toys in both domestic and international markets, further bolstering export prospects.
The comprehensive ‘National Action Plan’ for Toys, initiated in 2020, aims to promote trade and investment, boost indigenous manufacturing, and position India as a global hub for toy production. Collaboration with 14 central ministries and departments underscores the holistic approach towards achieving this goal.

Furthermore, recent Free Trade Agreements (FTA), such as the India-UAE Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), provide zero-duty market access for Indian toy exports, incentivizing further growth in the sector. Previously facing stiff competition from Chinese toys, the Indian toy industry has made significant strides in reducing imports from China. This shift reflects India’s increasing self-reliance and competitiveness in the global market. (ANI)