The Economic Times

'Copying China's manufacturing model may not pay off': Ashwini Vaishnaw hits back with Cope harder remark, cites Rs 3 lakh crore PLI returns

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has hit back at criticism of India's mobile phone manufacturing strategy with a blunt Cope harder remark. Citing figures from the government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, he said the government paid Rs 19,000 crore in incentives and collected Rs 25,000 crore in direct taxes, alongside Rs 3 lakh crore in GST. His response followed a Bloomberg Opinion video questioning India's iPhone manufacturing model, its dependence on imported components and the cost of government subsidies.