The Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) held a special plenary session addressing the state of India’s manufacturing sector, with discussions focusing on skill development, economic reforms, and infrastructure improvements.
Speaking at the event, Supreme Court Bar Association President and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal emphasized the need for large-scale skill development to support the sector. “We, in India, need to skill our youth, and that is the challenge we have. Because unless we skill about 500 million people in this country, we will not be able to really take advantage of the great opportunity before us,” he said.
Sibal noted that while India’s skill development programs have been implemented over the years, they have not yet achieved their intended impact. He highlighted financial and logistical challenges in manufacturing, stating that high capital costs and inefficiencies in export logistics affect competitiveness. “We need to work hard on the cost of capital, which is very high in India compared to anywhere else in the world. That affects product pricing. We need more efficient logistics to reduce export costs. We are building a national manufacturing pipeline, but its progress is slow,” he added.
He further stated that removing barriers to industrial growth would enhance economic activity. “It’s time to let industry and economic activity flourish. If you bring about impediments, you will not reach your goal,” he remarked.
The UIA is an international organization of lawyers that facilitates discussions on legal and economic issues. The session covered India’s manufacturing sector, including challenges such as structural inefficiencies and financial constraints. Sibal highlighted that targeted reforms, innovation, and global competitiveness could strengthen the sector and create employment opportunities.
“Let us build an India that doesn’t just assemble but designs, innovates, and leads,” he said, underscoring the potential for India to expand beyond assembly work into high-value manufacturing.