India Needs ‘Advanced Manufacturing Mission’ to Scale Up Manufacturing Sector

PARTHA ROY, KOLKATA: Industry leaders deliberated at National Conference on Advanced Manufacturing, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on 8th April 2026 in Kolkata and urged the government to launch an ‘Advanced Manufacturing Mission’ to boost India’s manufacturing sector amid shifting global supply chains and rapid technological advancements.

Industry leaders at the conference stressed the need to integrate Industry 4.0 technologies with traditional processes to strengthen India’s global competitiveness. WEBEL Chairman Sutirtha Bhattacharya called the event a “point of inflection” and said it was time for India to introduce a dedicated Advanced Manufacturing Mission.

Vivek Bhatia, Chairman of CII Mining & Construction Equipment division noted that manufacturing’s current 16% share in GDP needs significant expansion. He emphasised scaling up alongside skilling and expanding the industrial base through technology and innovation.

Dilip Sawhney, Chairman of CII National Committee on Smart Manufacturing, highlighted rising investments via PLI schemes despite global disruptions. He called for greater sophistication, higher local value addition, and bridging the MSME ‘missing middle’ through AI, IoT, and data-driven solutions.

Dilip Sawhney stressed visionary leadership across value chains is critically important to implement Advance Manufacturing processes and technologies. A report titled ‘Strategic Insights on Advanced Manufacturing’ was also released, outlining key trends and policy priorities. The conference featured sessions on AI, automation, value chain innovation, and workforce reskilling.