“India is Well-Poised to Leapfrog into Industry 5.0 and Lead the Next Phase of Global Manufacturing”: Shri Rajiv Singh Thakur, NITI Aayog

Building on this optimistic outlook, Shri Rajiv Singh Thakur, Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog, emphasized that India stands at a unique inflection point where it can leapfrog into Industry 5.0, driven by its strong domestic market, growing middle class, and accelerating push towards localization and advanced manufacturing. He noted that despite ongoing global geopolitical headwinds, India’s scale, resilience, and reform momentum position it strongly to emerge as a global manufacturing leader. He was addressing the inaugural session of the CII Conference on “Welding and Cutting Technologies: Human-Centric Innovation for Sustainable & Self-Reliant Manufacturing in India” held on 8 April 2026 in New Delhi.

Shri Thakur underlined that quality control orders, standards, and public procurement policies are already supporting domestic manufacturing, but greater industry-government collaboration is required to scale the welding and cutting ecosystem. He stressed that skilling, R&D, and state-level implementation will be critical enablers, particularly as manufacturing expands beyond traditional hubs. He further highlighted that NITI Aayog stands ready to act as a catalyst and knowledge partner, supporting industry-led solutions and facilitating policy alignment to accelerate sectoral growth.

Speaking at the session, Mr. Abby Joseph, Conference Chair and Managing Director, voestalpine Böhler Welding India Pvt. Ltd., set the context by underscoring that welding and cutting are foundational to every manufacturing activity—from infrastructure and defense to aerospace and semiconductors. Mr Joseph noted that while India has built strong momentum through initiatives such as GST, Make in India, and PLI schemes, the next phase of growth will require enhanced competitiveness, scale, and supply chain integration.

Sharing industry perspectives, Mr. B Thiagarajan, Managing Director, Blue Star Ltd., Managing Director, Blue Star Ltd. and Chairman, CII National Committee on CSR, and Chairman, CII National Committee on Trade Fairs, highlighted the rapid growth potential of the HVAC sector, noting that India’s room air conditioner market could nearly double from 16 million units to 30 million by 2030. He pointed out that while manufacturing capacity has expanded significantly under government initiatives, quality and efficiency challenges persist, particularly in welding and fabrication processes.

Providing insights from the capital goods sector, Mr. Ravi Raghavan, Co-Chair, CII National Committee on Capital Goods and Engineering, and Managing Director, Bharat Fritz Werner Ltd., emphasized that achieving India’s long-term ambition of becoming a $30 trillion economy with 25% manufacturing share will require a strong and forward-looking capital goods sector. He highlighted that welding and precision cutting are foundational to heavy and precision engineering, directly impacting the reliability, safety, and performance of manufactured products.

Concluding the session, Mr. Pankaj Jain, Chairman, Association of Welding Products Manufacturers (AWPM), noted that India’s welding industry has significant headroom for growth compared to the global market. Mr. Jain highlighted that the transition to Industry 5.0 places people at the center of technological transformation, requiring a strong focus on skilling, safety, and workforce empowerment.

The conference brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and technology providers to deliberate on the future of welding and cutting technologies in India. It served as a key platform to align government vision with industrial action, fostering dialogue on innovation, sustainability, and human-centric manufacturing as India advances towards its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.