Govt clears 17 projects to boost production of electronic goods

The approved projects will set up mfg units across nine states and UTs

- Sejal Sharma

The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) on Monday cleared 17 projects, with a cumulative investment of ₹7,172 crore, in the second tranche of approvals under a scheme that aims to boost the production of electronic goods within the country.

The 17 projects approved under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) will set up manufacturing units across nine states and union territories—five in Karnataka, three each in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, and one each in Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.

An IT ministry official had told HT that the government plans to announce new projects under ECMS every fortnight. The first tranche with seven projects was announced on October 27, with an investment of ₹5,532 crore. With this second set of announcements, the government has cleared projects worth ₹12,704 crore out of total ₹1.15 lakh crore of total expected investments under the scheme, with 24 out of 249 projects cleared so far.

At the event organised by India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA) in New Delhi, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that early scepticism about India’s electronics ambitions had been dispelled. “There were many naysayers, and those naysayers are now proven wrong. You have shown the way how this country will become a major electronics manufacturing hub,” he said, addressing the industry.