Overview
- The six sectoral working groups were constituted on June 4 and placed under DPIIT Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia with a three‑week deadline to submit up to 100 priority products to the Cabinet Secretariat.
- Groups cover pharmaceuticals and medical devices; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles and footwear; capital goods, automotive and EVs; energy; and construction, defence‑aerospace and electronics.
- Officials will score candidates on necessity, feasibility and consumer symbolic value, weighing import value, dependence on land‑border suppliers, long‑run cost competitiveness, domestic demand and strategic relevance.
- Preliminary work has already flagged opportunities such as auto and motorcycle components but also noted technology and capital gaps, and ministries are now collating data on import dependence, timeframes and required investment.
- The initiative is an assessment and prioritisation step intended to shrink a large import bill (about USD 775–776 billion in 2025–26), guide targeted policy support and shape future investment and indigenisation plans.