Manish Tewari says Centre evasive on Mohali semiconductor lab, warns of setback to chip ambitions
In an unstarred question in Lok Sabha, Tewari asked whether the Union government had discontinued SCL's association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) after a December 2021 Cabinet decision, and if stakeholders, including the Punjab Government and scientists, were consulted.
The Congress leader, who represents Chandigarh in the Lower House, also sought details on whether Isro-linked projects would continue, and what steps had been taken to address salary, pension and service continuity issues of scientists transferred from the space agency to SCL.
Replying on behalf of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Minister of State Jitin Prasada said semiconductor manufacturing was a 'foundational and strategic industry', and that India was pursuing a comprehensive strategy covering design, fabrication, assembly, testing, and packaging of chips.
Recognising the sector's importance, the government launched the ₹76,000-crore Semicon India programme, under which modernisation and upgradation of SCL, Mohali, was included, he said.
Prasada said SCL had been brought under MeitY's administrative control in February 2022, and continued to undertake design, fabrication, testing, and quality assurance of chips for strategic sectors. He added that under the 'Chips to Startup' programme, 56 chip designs from 34 institutions had been tapped out, and fabrication completed for 28 designs submitted by 25 academic institutions.
Calling the government's response inadequate, Tewari said, 'A comprehensive question on SCL – perhaps the first of its kind ever – has met with a motherhood and apple pie response from the government.'
He pointed out that SCL, set up in 1976, had once placed India ahead of the US and Taiwan in chip-making until a mysterious fire on February 7, 1989, which he claimed was believed to be the handiwork of Pakistan's ISI 'at the behest of their western masters', crippled its progress.
'SCL is critical to the success of India's semiconductor ambitions. However, it is facing myriad challenges, including low morale among the scientific community because of serious salary and pension issues. If these problems are not surmounted, it would be a serious setback to India's chip-making ambitions,' he said.
In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that 'Made in India' semiconductor chips will be available in the market by the end of 2025.
Last week, the Union Cabinet cleared four new semiconductor assembly and testing plants — two in Odisha, and one each in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh — under its India Semiconductor Mission, with a financial outlay of Rs 4,594 crore. The government is now offering financial incentives for the construction of a total of 10 chip-related factories, ranging from a fabrication plant to assembly and testing operations.
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