India is making decisive strides toward building a fully indigenous solar value chain, with a target of achieving domestic solar cell manufacturing by 2028, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi announced.

The minister highlighted that the country is now moving beyond module manufacturing to establish domestic capacity for wafers and ingots, a step that will reduce dependence on imports, generate large-scale employment, attract investments, and position India as a global hub for clean energy manufacturing. So far, ₹50,000 crore has been invested in the solar equipment sector.

Currently, India has 100 GW of module manufacturing capacity but only 27 GW of solar cell capacity, while ingots and wafers stand at just 2.2 GW. To address this gap, the government is preparing a trajectory for wafer, ingot, and eventually polysilicon manufacturing.

Joshi also noted India’s non-fossil energy generation has already crossed 251.5 GW, putting the country more than halfway toward its 500 GW target for 2030. Under flagship schemes such as PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and PM-KUSUM, millions of households and farmers are already benefiting, with plans for further expansion in the coming years.