Over two dozen companies pledge $1.5 billion to set up mobile-phone factories in India

India’s latest set of incentives to entice businesses moving away from China seem to be working, with companies from Samsung Electronics Co. to Apple Inc.’s assembly partners showing interest in investing in the South Asian nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in March announced incentives that make niche firms — electronics manufacturers — eligible for a payment of 4%-6% of their incremental sales over the next five years. The result: about two dozen companies pledged $1.5 billion of investments to set up mobile-phone factories in the country.