Govt's Battery PLI Scheme Generated Just 1,118 Jobs So Far Against Target of 1.03 Million: Report

New Delhi: In October 2021, the Union government had notified its flagship Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme – in line with the government's slogan of "Make in India" – with an objective to build a domestic battery manufacturing ecosystem. Two key objectives of the scheme included generating employment and investment.

However, more than four years later, the ACC PLI scheme has generated only 1,118 jobs so far, which translates to just 0.12% of the estimated target of 1.03 million jobs. Similarly, investment commitments amount to around Rs 2,870 crore, which is just 25.6% of the targeted Rs 11,250 crore, a new assessment by JMK Research and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has found, reported Financial Express.

According to the Financial Express report, as of October 2025, no incentives have been disbursed under the scheme against a targeted incentive outgo of Rs 2,900 crore.

The fact that India’s reliance on imported battery cells is still close to 100%, demonstrates how the scheme lags behind and is far from achieving its original objective of finding a substitute to importing battery cells.

The assessment lists a mix of policy and implementation hurdles that have slowed execution of the scheme, with stringent domestic value addition (DVA) requirements being the major reason. Other factors include an aggressive two-year installation timeline along with delays in visa approvals for Chinese technical specialists required to install and commission specialised battery manufacturing equipment, reported Financial Express.

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