India Greenlights Major Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme
India’s Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, has approved the Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme (CMPS) with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore. The plan was first announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, and this approval turns it into a working programme to make India a global centre for building shipping containers.
The scheme will run from FY 2027-28 to FY 2039-40, giving manufacturers three years to set up factories and ten years of production support. Most of the money, Rs 8,891 crore, will be paid as support for each globally compliant container sold. Another Rs 859 crore will cover a 3% yearly interest subsidy on term loans, Rs 150 crore will support testing and certification, and Rs 100 crore will go to running the scheme. Makers can also lease land at major ports at 25% of the notified rate.
The government wants annual capacity to grow about tenfold, from roughly 70,000 TEU to 7.5 lakh TEU, and domestic content to rise from 70% to 90%. It expects about 3,000 direct jobs and more than 50,000 indirect jobs in steel, components and logistics. An inter-ministerial steering committee chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways will approve guidelines and payments. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal welcomed the decision.
India currently depends heavily on imported boxes, and shortages have pushed up costs for exporters during recent global disruptions.
For seafarers, more locally built containers tested to global standards could help keep weak or damaged boxes out of the supply chain. Sound containers matter on deck, where poor structural strength can lead to stack collapses and cargo losses in heavy weather.
