(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Friday extended the application window for Round 4 of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for white goods (air conditioners and LED lights) till November 10, 2025.

The application window for Round 4 was originally open from September 15 to October 14.

It has now been extended in view of the strong industry response and increasing investment appetite under the scheme.

“This reflects the growing confidence and momentum generated by domestic manufacturing of key components of ACs and LED Lights in India under the PLI-WG Scheme,” said Commerce Ministry.

The PLI Scheme for White Goods, launched in April 2021 with a total outlay of Rs 6,238 crore, aims to boost domestic manufacturing, promote component localisation, and strengthen India's global competitiveness in the air conditioner and LED lighting sectors.

Earlier rounds of the scheme have already attracted substantial investment commitments, contributing to enhanced manufacturing capacity and employment generation across the value chain.

The investments will lead to manufacturing of components of ACs and LED Lights across the complete value chain including components which are not manufactured in India presently with sufficient quantity.

Meanwhile, the PLI scheme has attracted Rs 1.76 lakh crore in committed investments since 2020 and created over 12 lakh jobs. The scheme has approved 806 applications across 14 strategic sectors, primarily with the goal of boosting manufacturing in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

The scheme offers rewards to companies for increased sales beyond a set baseline. Initially, sectors such as mobile electronics, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and medical devices were included, and later, automobiles, textiles, food processing, solar modules, semiconductors, and others were added.

Under the PLI scheme, electronics and mobile manufacturing rose 146 per cent from Rs 2.13 lakh crore in FY 2020-21 to Rs 5.25 lakh crore in FY 2024-25. The auto and auto-component PLI has drawn over Rs 67,000 crore in investments.

By March 2025, PLI participants in all sectors reported combined sales surpassing Rs 16.5 lakh crore, the report said.

Although MSMEs benefit indirectly, their direct inclusion in PLI schemes remains limited, it said, adding that addressing these gaps will be critical for the scheme to reach its full transformative potential.

Several projects have lagged in terms of execution amidst the competition from countries like Vietnam or China, which requires constant innovation in policy design and logistics infrastructure, it noted.

While electronics and pharma are surging due to a boost from the PLI scheme, some sectors, such as textiles and white goods, need more time to scale.

The report said that enhanced monitoring, complementary reforms in logistics and infrastructure, and increased budget allocations for FY 2025-26 will strengthen PLI's reach and elevate manufacturing's share of GDP to 25 per cent.

Further, the scheme is expected to anchor India in global supply chains for electronics, EVs, and pharmaceuticals.

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