Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has expressed confidence that India will have mobile phones designed and manufactured in the country and sold under Indian brands by October 2028. Speaking at a summit organised by a media house in New Delhi yesterday, Mr Vaishnaw said, India will become the world’s design capital for semiconductors. He added that India lost four decades, from 1950 to 1990, during which manufacturing was never considered an important sector of the Indian economy. The Minister said the country had now moved forward with the spirit of Make in India. He highlighted that India is currently manufacturing mobile phones, drones, missiles, trains and some of the most advanced equipment.

Replying to a question on artificial intelligence (AI), Mr Vaishnaw said the race for innovation must be balanced with the safety of human beings. He said AI must be human-centric and that control over AI agents, models and outcomes should remain in human hands.