Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday, June 7, 2026, shared a report citing reduced import dependence across key economic sectors, attributing the trend to the decade-long Make in India initiative. The minister posted the finding via the NaMo App, underlining the ruling dispensation's continued emphasis on domestic manufacturing.

Context

The post, shared in Hindi, reads: 'Pramukh sectors mein ghati import par nirbharta, Make in India ka dikh raha asar' — 'Import dependence has eased in key sectors, the impact of Make in India is visible.' Singh linked to a Bank of Baroda research note that reportedly documents sector-wise shifts in India's import composition. The post carries one image and was shared through the NaMo App, a platform frequently used by BJP leaders to amplify government messaging.

While the specific statistics in the cited report cannot be independently confirmed, the broader trend of declining import intensity in select sectors has been a recurring theme in official economic communications since 2014. The minister's amplification signals continued political investment in the Make in India narrative ahead of forthcoming trade data releases.

Policy Backdrop

Make in India was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2014 to position India as a global manufacturing destination and reduce dependence on imports, particularly in electronics, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and defence. The initiative was reinforced in May 2020 when the government announced the Atmanirbhar Bharat package — a self-reliance campaign aimed at strengthening indigenous supply chains in the aftermath of the pandemic-era disruption.

From 2020 onward, the government rolled out Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes across 14 sectors to incentivise local production and attract capital investment. These schemes have been credited in successive Union Budgets and economic surveys with nudging manufacturers toward domestic sourcing. The geopolitical supply-chain diversification wave post-2020, driven by tensions in global trade corridors, further accelerated India's import-substitution push.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of reduced import dependence are domestic manufacturers and MSME exporters, who gain pricing competitiveness and larger order books as import substitution takes hold. For the textiles sector — which Giriraj Singh directly oversees — lower reliance on imported raw materials and machinery translates into improved margins for mills and weavers across states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.

Bank of Baroda, as a public sector lender with deep exposure to manufacturing credit, carries institutional credibility when it publishes sectoral research. Its findings, when amplified by a senior cabinet minister, carry signalling value for industry bodies, investors, and policymakers evaluating the efficacy of the PLI framework.

What's Next

Analysts and industry observers will watch the Commerce Ministry's monthly trade data releases in the coming weeks for corroboration of the import-easing trend at an aggregate level. Any extension or revision of PLI schemes in the next Union Budget will be a key policy marker indicating whether the government intends to deepen import substitution incentives further.

If the Bank of Baroda findings are borne out by official trade statistics, they would provide the government with a data-backed case to argue that its decade-long manufacturing push is delivering measurable structural change — a politically significant claim as India navigates an evolving global trade environment.