Missed opportunity: Smartphone PLI eludes domestic players amid high targets

Domestic players, apart from Dixon Technologies, are on course to miss out on the benefits of the government’s smartphone production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, which concludes in FY26. Homegrown manufacturers like Bhagwati (Micromax), Lava, and Optiemus Electronics are unlikely to meet the eligibility criteria, signaling a missed opportunity for India’s indigenous smartphone sector. Among domestic manufacturers, only UTL Neolyncs – which produces Karbonn and Jio phones – has managed to claim incentives under the scheme, and that too for just a year or two, according to industry sources.