THE NEWS FREEDOM
NEW DELHI, MARCH 13
Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked a historic milestone on Wednesday as he laid the foundation stones for three major semiconductor manufacturing projects, collectively valued at around Rs 1.25 lakh crores. These projects, set to be established in Dholera and Sanand in Gujarat, along with Moregaon in Assam, signify a crucial step towards positioning India as a prominent hub for semiconductor production.
Addressing the ‘India’s Techade: Chips for Viksit Bharat’ program via video conferencing, Prime Minister Modi described the event as a realization of the aspirations of the nation’s youth, who are pivotal to India’s future. “The youth witness India’s concerted efforts towards self-reliance and global competitiveness. Their confidence shapes the nation’s destiny,” remarked the Prime Minister, underscoring the transformative impact of these initiatives on India’s technological landscape.
Noting the centrality of electronic chips in the technology-driven 21st century, the Prime Minister said that made-in-India and designed-in-India chips will play a major role in taking India towards self-reliance and modernization. The Prime Minister said that after missing out on the first three industrial revolutions due to various reasons, India now is moving with an intention to lead Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution. Stressing the need to utilize every second, the Prime Minister presented today’s event as an example of the speed with which the government is working. Explaining the sequence of the strides made in the semiconductor field, the Prime Minister talked about the announcement of the semiconductor mission two years ago and within a few months first MoUs were signed and now the foundation stones for three projects are being laid. “India commits, India delivers and democracy delivers”, said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister underlined that only a handful of nations in the world are manufacturing semiconductors today and emphasized the need for a reliable supply chain after the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He stated that India is keen to play a crucial role in this and highlighted the country’s tech space, nuclear and digital power. Elaborating on the future plans where India is primed to take on commercial production for the semiconductor sector, the Prime Minister said, “The day is not far when India will become a global power in the manufacture of products for the semiconductor sector.” He emphasized that India will gain a strategic advantage in the future for policy decisions taken today as he mentioned encouraging Ease of Doing Business and simplification of laws. In the last few years, the Prime Minister informed that more than 40,000 compliances have been abolished and rules for FDI have also been simplified. FDI policies in defence, insurance and telecom sectors have been liberalized. The Prime Minister also touched upon India’s growing position in electronics and hardware manufacturing where PLI schemes have been provided for large-scale electronic and IT hardware manufacturing and electronic clusters created, thereby giving a platform for the growth of the electronic ecosystem. The Prime Minister informed that India is the second largest mobile manufacturer in the world today. Highlighting the initiation of India’s Quantum Mission, the establishment of the National Research Foundation to encourage innovation and the expansion of India’s AI Mission, the Prime Minister said that India is moving in the direction of technology advancement apart from technology adoption.