New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) The government on Friday opened applications under three key pillars of the Rs 1.27 lakh crore Semicon India 2.0 programme, as it stepped up efforts to bolster domestic capabilities in semiconductor equipment, materials, fabrication and chip packaging.
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the Semicon 2.0 web application portal for projects covering semiconductor machines and materials, setting up additional fabrication plants (fabs), and expanding the assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) and outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) industry.
Vaishnaw also sent a strong message to the industry, asserting that the government's semiconductor programme, as well as manufacturing schemes for components and mobile phones, are meant only for serious, technologically capable players and that there is no place for "frivolous" applicants.
"We don't want placeholders," Vaishnaw said.
The minister also announced approval of 12 additional projects under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), involving proposed investments of Rs 7,503 crore.
These projects are expected to generate production worth Rs 39,045 crore and create 7,127 direct jobs.
With the latest approvals, the total number of sanctioned applications under ECMS has risen to 118, covering 34 products across 16 states. Together, these projects envisage investments of Rs 77,051 crore, projected production of Rs 5.73 lakh crore and direct employment for 81,755 people.
Vaishnaw said India's electronics manufacturing journey has moved beyond assembly towards building a comprehensive domestic value chain spanning modules, components, materials and advanced technologies.
He said Semicon 2.0 would place particular emphasis on developing domestic capabilities in semiconductor equipment, materials, chemicals and gases, with a target of attracting at least three major equipment manufacturers and five chemicals and gases companies to India.
The minister made it clear that project selection must be guided by quality, technological depth, research and development, and global competitiveness.
He also highlighted the growing capabilities in battery cells, copper foils, copper-clad laminates and high-end printed circuit boards, noting that nearly 50 per cent of the units approved under the electronics component scheme belong to the MSME sector.
The latest ECMS approvals span 10 target product segments, including multi-layer printed circuit boards, relays, heat sinks, speciality ceramics, copper foil, battery materials and capital goods.
For the first time under the scheme, approvals have been granted for copper foil, cathode active material and speciality ceramics manufacturing.
Among the approved applicants are NeST ICELR for multi-layer PCBs, TDConnex for relays, Modern Automotives for heat sinks, Voltix Semicon for speciality ceramics, and Indo Asia Copper for copper foil.
Other projects that have been green-lit include TACC for anode materials, Vidyuta Materials for cathode active materials, Enerfolie for polypropylene film, Surface Modification Technologies for camera rims, Rockwell Automation India for power and control systems, and Wipro Pari Robotics for factory automation equipment.
The projects will come up across Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Semicon 2.0, approved this year with a fiscal outlay of Rs 1,27,500 crore, encompasses six strategic pillars covering chip design, machines and materials, fabs, ATMP/OSAT, research and development, and talent development.
Under the first phase of the Semicon India Programme, 12 semiconductor projects involving cumulative investments exceeding Rs 1.64 lakh crore were approved across six states. Of these, five had commenced commercial production by October 2026.
The government said 105 semiconductor startups have received access to electronic design automation tools, while 24 have been supported through funding and 15 have secured venture capital investments.
Under the Chips to Startup programme, 332 institutions have been provided design tools, with approximately 70,000 students trained so far.
Vaishnaw said the policy initiatives and joint efforts of the government and industry had laid the foundation for India's semiconductor and electronics growth, but the transformation was still in its early stages.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)