Guwahati, Mar 13 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone for a Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor assembly and test facility in Assam’s Morigaon district on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was present at the event organised at the site of the facility in Jagiroad, said today is a landmark day for Assam and the North East.
“This is a historic day as we are taking a strong step towards a bright future,” Modi said on the occasion.
The prime minister also laid the foundation stone for two semiconductor facilities in Gujarat.
The ‘Made in India’ semiconductor chips will take the country towards self-reliance and modernity, he said.
“This is the first time that an investment of this huge amount (Rs 27,000 crore) is being made in the state, which will put Assam and the North East on the industrial map of the country. This has been possible only due to the initiative taken by the prime minister,” Sarma said on the occasion.
This is an “emotional day” for the people of Assam as the facility is coming up on the site of the Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (HPCL) which had to be closed down in the state, he said.
“The people were very sad about the closure of HPCL. I, however, looked for possibilities and now a new era of development has come,” Sarma said.
The chief minister said that this was the beginning, and the people of the state should ‘remain positive because this is a new Assam and they should realise that bandhs or picketing will not help them in any way’.
The greenfield project of Tata Electronics at Jagiroad will involve an investment of Rs 27,000 crore and will generate employment opportunities for more than 30,000 people.
The first phase of the facility is expected to be operational by mid-2025.
He expressed his gratitude to Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran for this ‘milestone and for bringing hope to the industrially backward state like Assam’.
Sarma said when he became the chief minister two and half years ago, he never thought that such a historic day would come.
‘After becoming the CM, I had approached Chandrasekaran to set up a hotel at Kaziranga but he had promised that they were planning something big in Assam. I did not believe it then but now we will be always grateful for the semiconductor facility which will usher in industrial development in the state,” the chief minister said.
Sarma further said that they were also grateful to Ratan Tata for setting up 17 cancer hospitals in the state.
‘It is a matter of pride for Assam that this project will provide employment to 15,000 people directly and indirectly to an equal number of youths in the state. This is possible only in the new Assam where we translate our thoughts for the welfare of the people to reality and fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the people,” Sarma said.
‘Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji is laying the foundation stone for the Rs 27,000 crore Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test facility at Jagiroad,” Sarma wrote on X earlier in the day.
Quoting the prime minister, he posted on the microblogging site, “Today we are also creating history and taking a strong step towards a bright future.”
The chief minister had earlier said that people were eagerly awaiting this “game-changing project” which would herald a new dawn for Assam and the North East.
‘Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri@narendramodi: People of Assam eagerly await this game-changing project-which has moved from conception to implementation in a record time period. Yet another testimony to the limitless possibilities that your governance offers,” the chief minister wrote on social media.
Sarma also said the government is transforming Assam and the North East into “an epicentre of big bang investment and projects”.
The company will build the facility focusing on three key platform technologies – wire bond, flip chip, and a differentiated offering called integrated systems packaging (ISP), with plans to expand the roadmap to advanced packaging technologies in the future.
Semiconductor assembly and testing is a critical part of the value chain where wafers manufactured by semiconductor fabs are assembled or packaged and then tested before they are finally used in the desired product.
The proposed facility will serve the growing global demands across key market segments like AI, industrial, and consumer electronics, the company said.
The project will provide an immense boost to industrialisation in North-East India. It is envisioned under the Centre’s semiconductor policy being driven by the India Semiconductor Mission and the Assam government’s electronics policy.