MHI Industry Accelerator Impact Report Released at Navigyaan

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy released and digitally launched the Impact Report of the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) Industry Accelerator Project at Navigyaan 2026 in New Delhi. The release marked the close of the Accelerator project, and the Minister also felicitated the members of the projects it backed.

What the Accelerator did

The Accelerator gave Rs 35.72 crore as grant-in-aid to ten technologies, with the aim of carrying each from Technology Readiness Level 3 to Level 9, that is, from an early laboratory idea to a product fit for the market. The technologies sit in areas of future mobility such as electric powertrains, high-voltage motor control and energy storage. The Minister said the important outcome was that prototypes had moved towards commercially viable products.

The parent scheme

The Accelerator is one initiative under the Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector, Phase II, which carries a total financial outlay of Rs 1,207 crore and supports common technology development and services infrastructure. Thirty-three projects have been approved under this scheme so far.

What the Minister said

Kumaraswamy argued that Atmanirbhar Bharat asks for more than a large domestic market for advanced technology: the country must develop, manufacture and export such technology itself. He described the roles as complementary, with government providing policy and targeted support, industry bringing market understanding and manufacturing capability, research institutions and academia contributing knowledge, and start-ups bringing agility. He singled out the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) for bridging the gap between developing a technology, validating it and getting industry to adopt it.

The longer goal

Looking to Viksit Bharat@2047, the Minister said the focus should be to educate, innovate, manufacture and integrate technologies within India and then take Indian technology to global markets. Self-reliance, he added, must go beyond replacing imports and build Indian intellectual property, resilient supply chains and skills.