Only half the companies got telecom manufacturing incentives, Rs 1162 crore distributed till March 31

Out of the 42 companies eligible under the Telecom Manufacturing Incentive (PLI) scheme, only 21 have received incentives as of March 31, 2025. Meanwhile, the applications of two companies, Coral Telecom Ltd. and Alfion India Pvt. Ltd., were rejected for not meeting the eligibility criteria.

One beneficiary stated that some telecom gear manufacturers were simply selling imported products under their own labels, which affects production and margins under the PLI scheme. A senior official from a broadband gear manufacturer said that strict monitoring is necessary to prevent such unethical practices that undermine the scheme's intent.

In response to information requested under the Right to Information, the Department of Telecommunications reported that a total of Rs 1,162.03 crore has been disbursed under the scheme until March 31. The scheme had allocated a total incentive of Rs 4,115 crore. It is estimated that during the scheme period, additional sales of Rs 2.45 lakh crore and more than 44,000 new jobs will be created. The Telecom PLI scheme, aimed at promoting manufacturing, started on April 1, 2021, and is scheduled to continue through the end of the current financial year, 2025-26.