Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took a swipe at the Congress-led previous government on Saturday — accusing it of failing to develop the semiconductor industry in India. The remarks came mere hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused his predecessors of ‘killing’ efforts to set up such factories. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had countered the PM — claiming that the Semiconductors Complex Limited in Chandigarh started operations in 1983.
‘License permit raj of Congress’
“Fairchild founder Robert Noyce came to Bharat in 1964. License permit raj of Congress did not allow setting up a semiconductor plant. Went to Hong Kong. Then founded Intel. Rest is history. Intel once again tried to set up a semiconductor unit in Bharat in 2005-06. Once again it was not allowed because of the policy paralysis of UPA regime,” he said.
Vaishnaw noted that the Semiconductor Laboratory in Mohali worked at ‘lab scale’ while a commercial scale silicon fab worked at 20,000-40,000 wafer-starts per month. The Electronics & Information Technology Minister also stated that efforts were underway to build a silicon fab with a 50,000-wafer-starts-per-month capacity. Six other semiconductor units (one fab and five ATMP) were at different stages of planning, construction, and execution. Another silicon carbide fab and three more ATMP — including the most advanced packaging unit — were also approved last week.
“Entire ecosystem – Design, Fabrication, Packaging, equipment, chemicals, gases – taking shape in Bharat. Two of the largest equipment manufacturers – Applied Materials and Lam Research – are setting up their design, production and validation facilities in Bharat. Why didn’t Congress develop the semiconductor industry in Bharat despite our country having the requisite talent?” he asked Ramesh.
Bid to set up semiconductor factories ‘killed’ 50-60 years ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also touched upon the issue during his Independence Day address — contending that efforts to set up semiconductor factories were ‘killed at birth’ some 50 to 60 years earlier. He announced that the country was now in ‘mission mode’ — vowing that the first first Made in India chip would be rolled out by the end of 2025.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh however countered that the ‘Made-in-India’ semiconductor chip promise has now been made innumerable times — “each time with fanfare, each time without delivery”.
“It has in fact been made with a huge lie – which is Mr. Modi’s trademark – given that India’s first Semiconductor Complex was set up in Chandigarh in the early 1980s,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)