Press Information Bureau

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H. D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday unveiled and digitally launched the Impact Report of the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) Industry Accelerator Project at Navigyaan 2026 in New Delhi, marking an important milestone in the development and advancement of indigenous technologies for India’s mobility and manufacturing sectors.

Addressing the gathering, H.D. Kumaraswamy said the event marked the conclusion of the MHI Industry Accelerator Project and highlighted the importance of building domestic technological and manufacturing capabilities.

“The Government of India under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji, has placed strong emphasis on building domestic technological and manufacturing capabilities,” he said.

The Minister said that the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat requires India to move beyond being a large market for advanced technologies and develop the capacity to manufacture and export them.

“The vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat calls for an India that is not only a large market for advanced technologies, but also a country that develops, manufactures and exports those,” Kumaraswamy said.

Highlighting the scale of support extended under the Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector - Phase II, he said the scheme has a total financial outlay of ₹1,207 crore and aims to support common technology development and services infrastructure. Under the scheme, 33 projects have been approved.

The MHI Industry Accelerator Programme, one of these initiatives, provided ₹35.72 crore in Grant-in-Aid for 10 technologies, with the objective of supporting their progression from Technology Readiness Level 3 to Level 9.

Kumaraswamy noted that the technologies supported under the programme cover several areas of future mobility, including electric powertrains, high-voltage motor control and energy storage. An important outcome, he said, has been the movement of technologies from early-stage prototypes towards commercially viable products.

Emphasising the importance of collaboration in technology development, the Minister said government, industry, research institutions, academia, startups and institutions such as ARAI each have an important role in strengthening the innovation ecosystem.

“Government can provide the policy framework and targeted support. Industry brings market understanding and manufacturing capability. Research and academic institutions contribute knowledge and technology. Startups bring new ideas and agility,” he said.

He further underlined the role of institutions such as ARAI in bridging the gap between technology development, validation and industry adoption.

Kumaraswamy said that as India moves towards Viksit Bharat@2047, the focus must remain on developing capabilities within the country and taking Indian technologies to international markets.

“It is this ecosystem that we need to strengthen further. As we move towards Viksit Bharat@2047, our focus should be clear: educate, innovate, manufacture and integrate technologies in India and take Indian technologies to global markets,” he said.

The Minister also stressed that self-reliance should extend beyond import substitution and focus on developing Indian intellectual property, resilient supply chains and skilled human resources.

“The objective of self-reliance is not simply to replace imports. It is to build Indian intellectual property, supply chains and skilled human resources,” Kumaraswamy said.

He called for continued efforts to identify emerging technology requirements, strengthen industry-academia collaboration and develop talent capable of meeting the technological needs of the future.

Concluding his address, Kumaraswamy said India must create an ecosystem that enables innovations to move efficiently through every stage of development.

“Let us continue to build an ecosystem in which Indian innovation can move efficiently from concept to prototype, prototype to product, and product to global market,” he said.

The Minister also felicitated members of the MHI Industry Accelerator Project for their contribution towards taking technologies from development and validation to industrial application and commercialisation. The event, organised as a culmination of the MHI Industry Accelerator Project implemented by ARAI-AMTIF, brought together stakeholders from government, industry, academia, research and the technology ecosystem.

During the programme, Kumaraswamy visited the startup exhibition and reviewed innovations supported under the Accelerator initiative. The technologies showcased at the exhibition covered areas including electric mobility, power electronics, high-voltage systems, energy storage, predictive maintenance, sensors and advanced surface engineering.

***

TPJ