Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In the coming years, India will design and manufacture semiconductor chips for next-generation equipment, Union Minister of State for Computing and Electronics, Rajiv Chandrashekhar, said during a meeting. an exclusive interview with Free Press.

The minister said that two to three factories for manufacturing semiconductor chips will soon be established in the country as the country seeks to play an important role in this sector.

Asked about the shortage of semiconductor chips during the Corona period which led to a drop in the production of motor vehicles and electronic gadgets, the technocrat minister, who was in the city to attend the Pride of MP Awards ceremony and to a conclave on the digital acceleration program, denied any shortage.

“There has never been a shortage of semiconductor chips. After the corona, there was an acceleration of digitization. This led to a sudden surge in demand for these chips. At that time, the growth rate of global production of these chips was around 13%. However, demand increased by 25%. This wide gap between supply and demand has led to a shortage of semiconductor chips,” Minister Rajiv Chandrashekhar said emphatically.

The minister further said that as a result of the demand-supply gap, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a package of Rs 76,000 crore in December 2021 for the development of the semiconductor sector.

The minister further said that soon more than one semiconductor chip manufacturing plant will become operational. He said the country is also eyeing a major role in designing chips for gadgets in the coming decades.

The mobile phone importer becomes an exporter

Highlighting the government’s performance, Minister Chandrashekhar said that up to 2014, India imported 92% of mobile phones for its domestic demand. Today, India manufactures 97% of mobile phones to meet domestic demand. Until 2014, the export of electronic products was zero. Recently, India exported electronic goods worth Rs 70,000 cr including mobile phones.