Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced a new ₹10,000 crore scheme over five years to build a strong and globally competitive container manufacturing industry in India.
The Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme aims to support the rapid rise in containerised cargo, which makes up nearly two-thirds of the value of global trade. The government targets creating an annual domestic production capacity of around one million TEUs over the next decade.
The initiative is expected to generate a market worth over ₹80,000 crore, create about 3,000 direct jobs and more than 50,000 indirect jobs in logistics, transport, and related sectors, and help develop supporting industries like corner castings, specialised steel, wooden frames, and paints.
India currently imports nearly two million empty containers each year, mostly from abroad. The scheme will reduce this dependence, strengthen supply-chain resilience, and lower logistics costs for exporters and importers.
This move is part of the Budget’s focus on scaling up manufacturing in strategic sectors and improving India’s position in global trade and logistics.
