Move Over Kanjeevarams! At Nearly Rs 1 Lakh Crore, India's Silk Capital Is Now Its Smartphone Capital
For decades or maybe even centuries, the name of Kanchipuram is resonant with thousands of weavers weaving silk sarees with signature gold borders, with motifs inspired from the numerous temples in the region. Even as that industry remains intact, the city is keeping up with the changing times, and now boasts of exporting the most smartphones in India.
Kanchipuram, located in Tamil Nadu, exported smartphones to the tune of almost Rs 1 lakh crore in the last fiscal year — almost twice as compared to Kolar in Karnataka, which ranked the second highest.
Kanchipuram's success in smartphone manufacturing indicates that the local economy is moving past Kanjeevarams - the iconic saarees with which the Tamil city has been associated with it.
Smartphone exports from Kanchipuram rose to Rs 0.96 lakh crore in FY25, with exports from Kolar rising to Rs 0.43 lakh crore, and exports from Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar rising to Rs 0.39 lakh crore.
To be sure, until a year ago, Gautam Buddha Nagar, counted among the industrial hubs of Uttar Pradesh, was seeing the highest district-wise exports from India.
District-wise, Jamnagar in Gujarat, continues to remain the top export destination in India, exporting auto diesel fuel. As per HS code wise classification district-wise, smartphone exports from Kanchipuram comprise among the second largest export item.
India now ranks as the second largest smartphone producer in the world, aided by the introduction of PLI schemes from 2021, leading to a significant rise in smartphone exports.
-
A New Samvat Wishlist: Inclusive Prosperity And Human Development
India has strengthened its economic foundations through infrastructure, digital access and enterprise. Its next growth chapter must deepen productivity, create better livelihoods and widen participation in prosperity.
-
Love, Sex Aur Dhokha: The Audacious Plot To Spy On Jensen Huang
A Taipei dinner, a Singapore chip buyer and a suspected Chinese asset: inside the alleged spy operation that got close to NVIDIA's Jensen Huang.
-
Ten Things I Learnt This Samvat
Patience can be a trap. Cheap stocks can stay cheap. Leverage can wipe you out. What did Samvat 2082 teach us? Niraj Shah writes on 10 lessons from the year gone by.
-
Talking Points This Week: Tech Nerves, FII Buying, And A Faraway Banking Shock
The global markets are not shining this Diwali. The exception in the large markets is, India.
-
Midterm Rally Lasted A Day. The Hard Reality Of A Divided US May Last Two Years | Opinion
Between a contested AI boom, a debt ceiling that arrives in 2027 and a president with every incentive to act alone, the next two years may prove more volatile than the first day's rally suggests.
-
Blue Wave Will Derail the AI Trade but Won't Dismantle the AI Era | Unhedged Position
The Democrats' sweep of the US Congress will see politics collide with economic forces both over the long and short term.
-
It's Time To Take The GST Council's Bet On Trust Global
Payment records can prove India's services exports, and clear, proportionate rules can bring foreign digital sellers into the tax net.
-
Opinion | India at 38: From Innovation Overperformer to Innovation Powerhouse
India now has 453 VC-backed deep science startups, 18 of them late-stage, after 117 percent growth since 2020. Laurus Labs, at USD 9.3 billion, is the most valuable deep science company in any middle-income economy outside China.
-
Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
