New Delhi, April 17 : Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday said that the company is excited to build on its long-standing history in India, as it gears up to mark a major expansion with the opening of its first retail stores in the country. Apple completes more than 25 years in India this week and the tech giant will open two own-branded retail stores -- at Jio World Drive Mall in Mumbai and at Select CityWalk mall in Saket, Delhi. "India has such a beautiful culture and an incredible energy, and we're excited to build on our long-standing history -- supporting our customers, investing in local communities, and working together to build a better future with innovations that serve humanity," said Cook who will inaugurate the retail stores in the country, a first for the tech giant which has doubled down on its India growth plans. Apple's first two retail stores in India will welcome customers from all over the country and around the world. The new Apple flagship retail stores in Mumbai and Delhi, backed by aggressive sales initiatives, will fuel Apple's growth in the year ahead, according to industry experts. India's vibrant community of app developers now supports more than 1 million jobs. App Store payouts to developers in the country have more than tripled since 2018. At the iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru, Apple works one-on-one with developers to help take their apps from good to great. Since 2017, the accelerator has hosted sessions for more than 15,000 developers, enabling them to build on their ideas and bring cutting-edge apps to the market. As part of Apple's commitment to be 100 per cent carbon neutral for its supply chain and products by 2030, all active Indian manufacturing supply chain partners are committed to using 100 per cent clean energy for their Apple operations. Apple began manufacturing iPhone in India in 2017, and since then, the company has worked with suppliers to assemble iPhone models and produce a growing number of components. Apple recently launched educational programming in India focused on women's health, as part of the company's $50 million Supplier Employee Development Fund which was founded in 2022 to educate supplier employees on new skill development, rights awareness, and other learning opportunities. /IANS