PLI schemes led to investments of over ₹2.40 lakh crore until March 2026
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The Indian government reported that its Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes have attracted over ₹2.40 lakh crore in investments and created 14.15 lakh jobs, with significant contributions from sectors like solar PV modules and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the Startup India Seed Fund has approved ₹945 crore for incubators, while foreign direct investment (FDI) policies remain favorable for single-brand retail, though FDI inflows have seen a decline in recent years.
The government on Tuesday said that Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes have resulted in actual investments of over ₹2.40 lakh crore and generated over 14.15 lakh jobs until March this year.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said that the schemes have collectively enabled exports of over ₹15.2 lakh crore since their inception, reflecting India's growing integration with global value chains.
"As on March 31, 2026, under the PLI Schemes resulted actual investment of over ₹2.40 lakh crore and employment generation of over 14.15 lakh (direct and indirect)," he said.
According to the data provided by the minister in his reply, the maximum investment was received in the high efficiency solar PV modules (₹64,873 crore).
It was followed by pharma (₹45,158 crore), auto (₹44,326 crore), speciality steel (₹23,896 crore), and the large-scale electronics manufacturing sector till March (₹20,580 crore).
In a separate reply, the minister said as on June 30 this year, 219 operational incubators have been selected under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme with a total approved funding of ₹945 crore, of which ₹650 crore has been disbursed to the incubators.
In another reply, Prasada said overseas investment by India in the US in the last five years (2021-2026) stood at $15.9 billion.
In the last fiscal, it was over $4 billion and $3.44 billion in 2024-25.
Replying to a question, the minister said that as per the FDI policy, 100 per cent foreign direct investment is allowed under the automatic route in single-brand retail trading, while 51 per cent FDI is allowed under the approval route in multi-brand retail trading (MBRT), subject to certain conditions.
The minister informed that the cumulative FDI inflow from April 2021 to March 2026 in the single brand retail stood at $1,528.66 million.
The investments have declined to $179.25 million in 2025-26 from $486.66 million in 2021-22.
Similarly, the cumulative FDI in the multi-brand sector was $34.38 million during April 2021 to March 2026.
Investments in the sector have increased to $9.7 million in 2025-26 from $7.47 million in 2021-22.
Original Article
Published on Hindu BusinessLine