The government has extended the approval of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI), scheme to eight more companies at its 9^th meeting of the Empowered Committee held last month. A total of 14 applications were received and these eight were given the go-ahead.

The companies that got the go-ahead were. Philips Global Business Services LLP, Allied Medical, Deck Mount Electronics, Microtek New Technologies, Meril Healthcare, Meril Life Sciences, Envision Scientific and Bio India Interventional Technologies.

The setting up of these 8 plants will lead to a total committed investment of Rs. 260.40 crore by the companies and employment generation of about 2,599. The commercial production is projected to commence from 1^st April 2023 onwards.

With this the total applications approved under both rounds aggregate to 21 applicants with committed investment of Rs 1,059.33 crore and employment generation of about 6,411. The setting of these plants will make the country self-reliant to a large extent in the specified target segments in the Medical Devices Sector.

In the first round, 28 applications were received from 23 applicants under the Scheme. Out of which, 13 applications with committed investment of Rs.798.93 crore by the Companies were approved with expected employment generation of around 3,812 persons

The Medical Device Sector in India suffers from a considerable cost of manufacturing disability vis-à-vis competing economies, inter alia, on account of lack of adequate infrastructure, domestic supply chain and logistics, high cost of finance, inadequate availability of power, limited design capabilities, low focus on research & development (R&D) and skill development, etc.

With an objective to boost domestic manufacturing, attract large investment in the Medical Device Sector, the Department of Pharmaceuticals had launched a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Promotion of Domestic Manufacturing of Medical Devices to ensure a level playing field for the domestic manufacturers of medical devices with a total financial outlay of Rs.3,420 cr. for the period 2020-21 to 2027-28.