<![CDATA[Purpose This study examines productivity and cost efficiency among leading industries in India’s organized manufacturing sector and identifies policy directions for improving input utilization and total factor productivity. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes food products, textiles, wearing apparel, coke and refined petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, basic metals, and automobiles using Annual Survey of Industries data from 2009–10 to 2021–22. Output oriented Data Envelopment Analysis with variable returns to scale and the Malmquist Productivity Index are applied to measure technical efficiency, allocative efficiency, efficiency change, technological change, and total factor productivity. Findings The selected industries recorded an average total factor productivity increase of 23%. Textiles and basic metals performed strongly due to technological progress. Wearing apparel and automobiles showed moderate gains through efficiency improvement, while petroleum products and pharmaceuticals improved through both efficiency and technological change. Food processing and basic metals showed high allocative efficiency, whereas petroleum products performed well in both technical and allocative efficiency. Wearing apparel had high technical efficiency but low allocative efficiency, while automobiles showed unstable efficiency performance. Research limitations/implications The analysis is limited to selected industries and the 2009–10 to 2021–22 period. Originality/value This study provides industry specific evidence on the relationship between input cost optimization, efficiency, and productivity in Indian organized manufacturing. ]]>
