The Union Cabinet has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for 10 "key sectors", including electronics, telecom and solar PV. The scheme essentially hopes to promote indigenous manufacturing and increase exports in the coming years, as part of the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat ("self reliance") vision. A total of ₹1.45 lakh crore has been earmarked for the scheme over a five-year period. Applications for the scheme will be appraised by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC), and approved by the Cabinet. For the telecom sector, which has an outlay of ₹12,195 crore, the PLI scheme will support the manufacturing of 4G, 5G, next generation radio access network and wireless equipment. This comes at a time when many countries in the world are trying to limit the influence and involvement of Chinese companies in the 5G ecosystem. India is currently working with…
