IMS 2025 Grand Inauguration Highlights India’s Leap Toward Industrial Self-Reliance

A New Era of Industrial Confidence

The seventh edition of the India Manufacturing Show (IMS) 2025) opened in Bengaluru with an atmosphere charged with optimism and purpose. More than just an exhibition, the event became a declaration of India’s industrial self-belief — a statement that the world’s fastest-growing economy is ready to define the future of manufacturing, not just participate in it.

From defence to aerospace, electronics to automation, and MSMEs to space technology, IMS 2025 brought together over 20,000 business leaders, innovators, and policymakers. Together, they painted a powerful picture of India’s transformation — a nation building for itself and the world.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi set the tone with a striking revelation: “Earlier, 70% of our defence procurement was imported. Today, 90% comes from Indian industries.” His words resonated through the grand halls of the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre, signalling the dawn of a new industrial India — self-reliant, resilient, and globally competitive.

From Dependency to Dominance: India’s Defence Revolution

India’s journey from dependence to dominance in the defence sector stood as one of the central themes at IMS 2025. Pralhad Joshi emphasized how India’s manufacturing ecosystem — powered by MSMEs, startups, and private innovators — has become the backbone of this transformation.

“Over 15,000 items once imported are now reserved for domestic production. This is not just economic progress — it’s the assertion of India’s sovereignty,” Joshi said, drawing applause from the gathered industrialists.

He reflected on the country’s transformation over the decades with a personal anecdote. “In 1984, my father stood in line the whole day for one bag of cement. That was the India of scarcity. Today, our ISRO can launch satellites at a cost cheaper per kilometre than a car ride. That’s the new India.”

Joshi attributed this transformation to trust-based governance and policy simplification, which have catalyzed industrial confidence. The integration of ministries and streamlined compliance systems have made it easier for manufacturers to innovate and expand. “Supporting trade, MSMEs, and industry means empowering the poor and strengthening the nation,” he said.

The numbers speak for themselves. Renewable energy capacity has surged from 2.8 GW in 2014 to over 128 GW, while India’s mobile manufacturing ecosystem — once negligible — now produces nearly 30% of the world’s mobile phones.

MSMEs: The Beating Heart of India’s Industrial Revival

If large corporations are the engine of India’s industrial resurgence, MSMEs are its pulse. Union Minister of State for MSME Shobha Karandlaje underscored this reality, describing MSMEs as the “backbone of India’s economic and social development.”

The sector employs 30 crore people, contributes 30% to GDP, 45% to manufacturing output, and 40% to exports — a scale that few other sectors can match. Karandlaje called upon major public sector undertakings — including ISRO, DRDO, HAL, BEL, and BHEL — to integrate MSMEs more deeply into their supply chains.

“Over seven crore MSMEs are now registered on the Udyam Portal, and the PMEGP has created one crore jobs, with 90% of the subsidies benefiting micro and small enterprises,” she said. Her remarks captured the growing synergy between India’s grassroots industries and its national ambitions.

ISRO and Indian Industry: Partners in Space

The event’s technological highlight came from V. Narayanan, Director (LVM3 & Cryogenic Systems) at ISRO, who revealed that nearly 85% of systems used in ISRO missions are now delivered by Indian industries, MSMEs, and startups.

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