The Congress party on Monday criticized the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, calling it a failure as India’s GDP growth figures for the July-September 2024 quarter revealed a worrying decline in the manufacturing sector. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the initiative, which aimed to boost domestic manufacturing, has now become ‘Make-believe in India’.

Ramesh pointed to the GDP data, which showed a dramatic fall in growth, as an indication of the failure of the government’s economic policies. He expressed concern over the manufacturing growth slowing down to just 2.2 percent, far below expectations. Moreover, the deceleration in export growth to 2.8 percent added to the concerns.

The opposition party claimed that the government’s inability to revive the manufacturing sector and increase exports has led to a sluggish economy, and has called for a reassessment of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.