Government Incentives and Policies: How India Supports Outsourced Manufacturing

Feb 12, 2025
Imredrillings

The demand to boost India’s manufacturing sector is on the rise. As the global manufacturing landscape shifts, India emerges as a promising destination for foreign companies to invest here because of the various incentives and government plans.

The Indian government has especially emphasised strategic policies and incentives to make this country the global manufacturing hub. Given ambitious programs like Make in India and a range of tax incentives, there is a very convincing environment for foreign businesses looking to establish manufacturing operations.

Let's discuss the government policies and their benefits that position India as a leading destination for outsourced manufacturing.

Government’s Strategic Policies and Incentives

Indian Government’s Strategic Policies and Incentives

The Indian Government has, over the last few years, introduced numerous programs and policies to attract foreign companies to invest their money in India as the primary destination for investment. Good policies help increase growth and profits and enhance one's reputation.

Let's have a look at each of them briefly.

  1. Make in India Initiative:

    Launched in 2014, the 'Make in India' initiative is an all-inclusive programme announced by the Indian government to attract more foreign investments. The scheme's main objective was to encourage domestic and international companies' investment by establishing manufacturing units in the country for sectoral growth and employment creation purposes.

    The initiative targets 25 essential sectors, such as automobiles, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and renewable energy, to boost manufacturing's contribution to India's GDP, attract foreign direct investment (FDI), and improve the nation’s global competitiveness.

  2. Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Schemes:

    PLI stands for Production Linked Incentive Scheme, which is an effective method by which India tries to attract foreign manufacturing companies. First initiated with regard to electronics production, the scheme has now widened into some significant sectors, including automobiles, pharmaceuticals, solar energy, and textiles.

    The scheme offers incentives in terms of additional sales and in that manner, encourages companies to expand the scale of their Indian operations. For instance, under the PLI initiative, foreign electronics majors like Samsung and Foxconn have come to Indian shores. This effort supports the government's goal of decreasing import reliance and establishing a solid domestic manufacturing environment.

  3. Special Economic Zones and Export Oriented Units:

    Besides SEZs, India has also established Export-Oriented Units (EOUs) to offer the most favourable environment for export-oriented manufacturing. The advantages of SEZs include tax holidays and duty-free imports of goods, among other things, by offering single-window clearances to acquire easier approval and permits.

    It is these areas that attract significant investments by multinational companies in the industries of IT, pharmaceuticals, and electronics. SEZs and EOUs promote export-oriented growth and efficient systems of companies that seek to minimise costs while maximising their spaces globally.

  4. PM GatiShakti:

    The PM GatiShakti program, launched on October 13, 2021, is designed to help achieve an Aatamnirbhar Bharat along with a US $5 trillion economy by 2025 with the development of multimodal and last-mile connectivity infrastructure. One of the significant needs of efficient transportation is addressed through the program, promoting holistic planning and coordination among 36 Ministries/Departments by integrating progress, thereby synchronising project implementation.

    As such, PM GatiShakti improves logistics efficiency while bridging critical infrastructure gaps to be genuinely a 'whole of the government' initiative transforming India's infrastructure landscape.

    Infrastructure Development in India
  5. Digital India and Infrastructure Development:

    Digital India is one such initiative that would help improve manufacturing incentives by building a robust digital infrastructure across the country, fostering digital literacy, promoting internet access, and embracing new technologies to address all automation requirements of modern manufacturing.

    The infrastructure development under the Indian government has significant stretches of roads, ports, and logistics facilities. The Sagarmela and the Bharatmala aim to improve connectivity and lower the cost of transport. Here, you can find some features that support large manufacturing operations, including improved connectivity and lower transport costs. This infrastructure focus is the key for foreign companies wanting to start integrated, effective supply chains in India.

  6. Tax Reforms and Incentives:

    The Indian Government offers several tax incentives to attract foreign companies further. Implementing Goods and Service Tax (GST) was the first step in India’s tax reforms, which took effect on 1 July 2017. As many as 36 States and Union Territories are now merged into a single common market by the Unified GST, thereby simplifying the nation's tax structure and reducing the cascading effects of multiple levies.

    This has reduced the costs of productions, and thus, local manufacturers have been made to be more competitive. More than 200 products have seen a cut in the GST rate from 28 % to 18 %, which has brought about overall efficiency and productivity. The Goods & Services Tax Council, constituted just now, has further ensured that the whole process of GST has been undertaken without any hitch, creating a stable, business-friendly tax environment that has enhanced foreign direct investment.

  7. Labour Reforms:

    Foreign companies in India have always faced problems with the country's labour laws, which are complex. The current reforms have arranged this situation by integrating the regulations into four main labour codes: those regarding wages, industrial relations, social security, and occupational safety. These reforms are said to increase flexibility in employment practices, allowing companies to control their workforce, which also assists in easily reducing compliance challenges. Thus, India now offers a more business-friendly regulatory environment for global manufacturers.

    Overall, we can see that the Indian government has taken bold steps to establish the country as a preferred destination for outsourced manufacturing. Its range of policies helps attract foreign companies and contribute towards their success.

Final Thoughts

With the support of the Indian Government to make India a favourable choice for both domestic and foreign companies, we can see how significantly its growth has emerged today.

Today, companies all over the world can do business easily, now that there are infrastructure and labour reforms set up to make improvements in their transactions with foreign investors.

As a result, India will become one of the world's fastest-growing manufacturing hubs, giving companies a competitive advantage and reduced cost of operation.

So, if you are looking for an Indian company that can help you with manufacturing and supply chains, don’t forget to contact the experts at Imre Drillings.

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