Can India's reform push attract global manufacturers?

The Indian government allocated Rs 1.97 lakh crores for 13 production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes in FY22. The aim was to increase manufacturing in sectors such as mobile phone manufacturing, pharmaceutical sector, automobiles, steel, telecom, electronic products, white goods, textiles, and now the USD 10 billion PLI scheme for semiconductors. Addressing the who's who of the Indian industry on Friday, home minister Amit Shah said the industry needs to focus on boosting manufacturing with a view to reducing imports as countries and businesses evaluate India as part of their China plus one strategy.

India's evolving data protection ecosystem is also being watched closely. A joint parliamentary committee (JPC) has recommended changes to India's Personal Data Protection Bill, which includes that sensitive personal data should not be shared with a third country or agency unless approved by the center, the penalty for violation is Rs 15 crores or 4 percent of the violating entities worldwide turnover, treating social media companies as publishers and setting up of a data protection authority.