The government has approved 106 applications across 30 product categories in 15 states, with proposed investments of Rs 69,548 crore. (AI-generated image)The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has approved 31 more applications under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), entailing a proposed investment of Rs 7,877 crore, as the government looks to deepen domestic manufacturing beyond finished electronic products and into components and sub-assemblies.The projects, spread across 10 states, are expected to lead to production worth Rs 82,243 crore and create close to 10,000 direct jobs, IT Secretary S Krishnan said Monday.The latest approvals cover a wide range of products, including capital goods, camera and display modules, anode materials, enclosures, connectors, rare-earth permanent magnets, optical transceivers, speakers and microphones, antennas, capacitors, coils and filters, among others. An enhanced investment in copper-clad laminates by Wipro Global, which had received an earlier approval, is also part of the latest tranche.With this, the government has approved 106 applications covering around 30 product categories across 15 states under the scheme. Cumulative proposed investment from the approved projects has reached Rs 69,548 crore, crossing the scheme’s original investment target of Rs 59,350 crore. Expected production from these projects stands at Rs 5.34 lakh crore, compared with an original target of Rs 4.56 lakh crore. The selected companies, so far, have committed to create close to 75,000 jobs, as opposed to the scheme’s total target of 91,600.Some of the projects approved earlier under the scheme have already started production. ATL’s lithium-ion cell facilities at Rewari and Sohna, and Tata Electronics’ enclosure plant in Hosur, are currently operational, IT Secretary S Krishnan said. Several others are nearing commissioning: Kaynes Circuits’ PCB plant near Chennai is expected to start operations within about a month, Motherson’s enclosure facility in Kanchipuram and Wipro Global’s copper-clad laminate plant in the next two-three months, while Dixon’s display and camera module facility in Noida is expected to go live within four months.The ECMS was notified in April 2025 to address a key weakness in India’s electronics manufacturing story — while the country has emerged as a major assembly and export hub for products such as smartphones, a large share of high-value components continues to be sourced from overseas. The scheme offers incentives to build domestic capacities in components, sub-assemblies and raw materials, and seeks to integrate Indian manufacturers more deeply with global supply chains.The Centre had initially provided an outlay of Rs 22,919 crore for the scheme. In the Union Budget for 2026-27, this was increased to Rs 40,000 crore after applications and investment commitments substantially exceeded the government’s initial expectations.Story continues below this adThe push comes as electronics has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing manufacturing and export sectors. Electronics production rose to about Rs 13.11 lakh crore in 2025-26, while exports reached roughly Rs 4.24 lakh crore, according to government data.Soumyarendra Barik is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express, specializing in the complex and evolving intersection of technology, policy, and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he is a key voice in documenting how digital transformations impact the daily lives of Indian citizens. Expertise & Focus Areas Barik’s reporting delves into the regulatory and human aspects of the tech world. His core areas of focus include: The Gig Economy: He extensively covers the rights and working conditions of gig workers in India. Tech Policy & Regulation: Analysis of policy interventions that impact Big Tech companies and the broader digital ecosystem. Digital Rights: Reporting on data privacy, internet freedom, and India's prevalent digital divide. Authoritativeness & On-Ground Reporting: Barik is known for his immersive and data-driven approach to journalism. A notable example of his commitment to authentic storytelling involves him tailing a food delivery worker for over 12 hours. This investigative piece quantified the meager earnings and physical toll involved in the profession, providing a verified, ground-level perspective often missing in tech reporting. Personal Interests Outside of the newsroom, Soumyarendra is a self-confessed nerd about horology (watches), follows Formula 1 racing closely, and is an avid football fan. Find all stories by Soumyarendra Barik here. ... Read More Tags:business