New Delhi [India], March 12 : Congress MP Manickam Tagore has filed an Adjournment Motion in the Lok Sabha to discuss the ongoing crisis in India's manufacturing sector and the growing trade deficit with China.
In his adjournment motion, Tagore wrote, "I rise today to bring attention to the growing crisis in India's manufacturing sector under the current government. Instead of fostering an Atma-Nirbhar Bharat, this government seems to be working towards an Adani Nirbhar Bharat, where only a handful of corporate giants benefit, leaving the rest of the country's industries and workers to suffer."
Tagore sharply criticized the government's flagship initiative, Make in India, which was intended to boost domestic manufacturing and employment opportunities.
"Make in India has turned into mere assembly work, with limited actual production taking place," he stated.
The MP pointed to the declining share of manufacturing in India's GDP, which has fallen from 15% in 2014 to just 12.8% in FY24. This, he argued, is a direct contradiction to the government's initial targets and promises made to the Indian public.
The Congress leader also highlighted the worsening trade deficit with China, emphasizing its negative effects on domestic industries.
Tagore noted, "The trade deficit with China has tripled, rising from $35.2 billion in 2013 to $105.8 billion in 2023, as Chinese goods flood the Indian market."
He further argued that this surge in imports from China is undermining the competitiveness of Indian businesses and failing to protect the domestic market from what he described as "unfair trade practices."
Tagore did not stop there. He also criticized the government's Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which was meant to incentivize manufacturing and reduce dependency on imports.
Despite the Rs1.97 lakh crore allocation, he pointed out that only Rs11,000 crore has been disbursed to date, calling this delay "a clear sign of the government's negligence and apathy toward struggling manufacturers."
The MP's motion called on the government to address these critical issues.
"I urge the government to explain why India's manufacturing sector is in such decline, and what concrete steps it will take to reverse this trend and truly make India self-reliant," Tagore said.