The Centre has released ₹266.64 crore as incentives under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Medical Devices up to FY 2024-25, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers JP Nadda informed the Lok Sabha on Friday, 24 July. Separately, ₹209.80 crore has been disbursed under the Medical Device Parks Scheme, of which ₹177.98 crore has already been utilised, the minister stated in a written reply.

PLI Scheme: Coverage and Approved Projects

The PLI Scheme for Medical Devices carries a total outlay of ₹3,420 crore and provides incentives on eligible incremental sales across four target segments — cancer care and radiotherapy, radiology and imaging, anaesthetics and cardio-respiratory devices, and renal care and implants.

A total of 27 applications have been approved under the scheme, including 14 from MSMEs. Approved projects have reported actual investments of ₹1,153.07 crore and have commenced domestic production of products including MRI and CT scanners, linear accelerators (LINACs), mammography systems, C-arms, ultrasound equipment, heart valves, and stents.

Medical Device Parks: Three Sites Under Implementation

The Medical Device Parks Scheme, with a total outlay of ₹300 crore, supports the development of shared infrastructure — including testing facilities, sterilisation units, warehousing, incubation centres, and prototyping labs — with central assistance of up to ₹100 crore per park.

Three parks are currently under implementation: Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), and Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu). Of the ₹209.80 crore released for these parks, ₹177.98 crore has been utilised to date.

SMDI: Reducing Import Dependence

Under the Scheme for Strengthening of Medical Device Industry (SMDI), projects worth ₹101.50 crore have been approved under the Marginal Investment Scheme for Reducing Import Dependence (MIS-RID), while projects worth ₹88.67 crore have been approved under the Common Facilities for Medical Devices Clusters (CFMDC) component. Of this combined approval, ₹20.62 crore has been released so far.

Government's Broader Push on Domestic Manufacturing

Minister Nadda emphasised that the government has implemented multiple schemes to promote indigenous manufacturing of medical devices — particularly high-end and high-precision equipment — with a clear emphasis on reducing import dependence and strengthening domestic production capabilities. This comes amid a broader policy push to position India as a global medical devices manufacturing hub, a sector that has historically been dominated by imports. With disbursals now tracking across multiple schemes and three device parks in active development, the next phase will test whether on-ground production scales to match the investment commitments already made.