Over 1 Lakh Women Power India's iPhone Factories, Says Minister

The minister said that over one lakh women are employed in iPhone manufacturing facilities in India, while female workers are also contributing in highly complex semiconductor manufacturing plants.

Taking to social media platform X, the minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' programme is empowering women by creating new employment opportunities in the electronics manufacturing sector.

"PM @narendramodi Ji's 'Make in India' is empowering women. Electronics manufacturing is creating new employment avenues for women," Vaishnaw said.

According to the minister, in several electronics manufacturing plants across the country, more than half of the workforce comprises women.

Earlier in February, Vaishnaw had said that women have been the biggest beneficiaries of the 'Make in India' initiative, which has created lakhs of direct and indirect jobs while also providing large-scale skilling opportunities.

Meanwhile, the Apple ecosystem alone has generated around 2.5 lakh direct jobs in India, with nearly 70 per cent of the beneficiaries being women.

US tech giant Apple has significantly expanded its manufacturing footprint in India.

The company increased iPhone production in the country by around 53 per cent in 2025, assembling nearly 55 million units compared with 36 million units a year earlier, according to reports.

Apple currently produces roughly a quarter of its flagship iPhones in India as part of its strategy to diversify manufacturing and avoid tariffs on China.

Globally, Apple produces about 220-230 million iPhones every year, with India's share rising steadily, largely driven by the government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.

The subsidies under the PLI scheme have helped offset structural disadvantages such as weaker supply chains and logistics challenges compared with China.

Older models such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 continue to be manufactured locally for both domestic sales and exports.

In 2025, iPhones emerged as the most valuable export item from India, with shipments worth around $23 billion, largely destined for the United States, according to industry data.

Smartphones also became India's top export category for the first time, with exports worth $30.13 billion during the January-December period, of which Apple accounted for about 76 per cent.

- IANS