According to www.hindustantimes.com, supply chain security is now a foundational pillar of the Make in India 2.0 initiative — a program spanning 27 sectors of the Indian economy and credited with attracting $81.04 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) during FY 2024–25.
From Pandemic to Geopolitics: A Resilience Imperative
The article, authored by Parmod Sagar, chairman & CEO of RHI Magnesita India Ltd., underscores that recent global disruptions — including pandemic-related lockdowns, geopolitical tensions, and trade wars — have exposed systemic vulnerabilities in global supply chains. For India, uninterrupted access to raw materials, components, and technology is no longer a logistical convenience but an economic imperative.
Critical Minerals and Strategic Infrastructure
A case in point is the shortage of rare earth magnets, which recently disrupted India’s auto industry. In response, the Indian government launched the National Critical Mineral Mission, backed by a Rs.34,300 crore budget over 7 years, to accelerate domestic exploration and strengthen long-term resilience across the critical minerals value chain.
PLI Scheme and Domestic Sourcing Gains
- Production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme beneficiaries report increased local production of components
- Outcomes include improved supply chain security, shorter lead times, and enhanced quality control
- The scheme supports faster adaptation to international regulatory shifts and regional supply shocks
- It also expands production capacity and drives auxiliary job creation
Magnesite: A Strategic Raw Material Priority
The article identifies magnesite — a critical input for refractories used in steel, cement, and glass industries — as a strategic priority for infrastructure development. Overreliance on single-source imports poses risk, prompting calls for policy reform to diversify sourcing. Complementing this, circular economy practices like refractory recycling are highlighted to mitigate raw material shortages and environmental impact.
Enablers of Resilience: Corridors and Technology
The proposed $20 billion India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) is cited as a transformative multimodal network poised to strengthen trade links between Europe and Asia via West Asia. Concurrently, AI and digital integration are improving logistics visibility and tracking across geographies. Governments globally are supporting such advances through policies promoting sustainability, data-driven decision-making, cost reduction, and accelerated deployment of multimodal transport assets.
“Supply chains, rather than being merely a logistical construct, are strategic enablers of India’s economic potential. Resilience along the value chain, from sourcing to transport, storage, and distribution, is essential.” — Parmod Sagar, chairman & CEO, RHI Magnesita India Ltd.
India’s political and economic stability, combined with its skilled workforce and improving infrastructure, positions it as a viable alternative sourcing location for global manufacturers seeking to de-risk concentrated supply bases. As the source states, these developments collectively advance Make in India’s vision of self-reliance anchored in secure, sustainable, and adaptive supply chains.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
