Solar PLI Scheme : India’s strategic push to become a self-reliant solar manufacturing powerhouse is yielding significant employment dividends. The government’s flagship Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for high-efficiency solar PV modules has already generated approximately 43,000 jobs across the country as of October 2025, according to official data presented in Parliament.
Of these 11,220 are direct jobs created by manufacturers setting up facilities under the scheme, with the remainder stemming from indirect and induced employment.
A State-Wise Green Job Surge
The employment benefits are spread across nine states, with Gujarat emerging as the clear leader. The state accounts for over 22,400 jobs, driven by massive projects from industry giants like Reliance Industries and Adani New Industries.
Other major contributors include:
- Tamil Nadu: ~6,800 jobs (FS India Solar Ventures, VSL Green Power, TP Solar)
- Andhra Pradesh: 1,620 jobs from two manufacturing units
- Odisha: 200 jobs (AMPIN Solar)
Additional employment has been created through multi-state projects by companies such as ReNew Photovoltaics, Grew Energy, and Avaada Electro.
Building a Domestic Solar Fortress
Backed by a ₹24,000 crore outlay, the PLI scheme aims to establish giga-scale domestic manufacturing capacity and reduce India’s critical dependence on imports, particularly from China, which dominates over 80% of the global solar supply chain.
The scheme has catalyzed the award of projects to establish 48.3 GW of fully or partially integrated solar module manufacturing units. This policy push, combined with the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM)—which restricts direct module imports—and customs duties on foreign cells and modules, is reshaping the industrial landscape.
Growth Trajectory and Challenges Ahead
India’s installed solar PV module manufacturing capacity has already reached 121.68 GW (as of Nov 2025). However, imports continue, with 180.58 lakh modules valued at $386.33 million entering the country in the first half of FY26, underscoring the scale of domestic demand.
Rating agency ICRA projects that driven by this strong policy support, India’s manufacturing capacity will surge to over 165 GW by March 2027.
The success in job creation marks a crucial step in India’s journey toward energy security and industrial self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat), proving that the green energy transition can also be a powerful engine for economic growth and employment.
