logo
Govt approves Micron Semiconductors proposal to set up SEZ

Govt approves Micron Semiconductors proposal to set up SEZ

Mint4 days ago

New Delhi, Jun 9 (PTI) The government on Monday said it has approved the proposals from Micron Semiconductor Technology India and Hubballi Durable Goods Cluster (Aequs Group) for setting up SEZs for manufacturing of semiconductors and electronic components.
Micron will establish its SEZ facility in Sanand, Gujarat, over an area of 37.64 hectares with an estimated investment of ₹ 13,000 crore, while Aequs will establish its SEZ in Dharwad, Karnataka, over an area of 11.55 hectares to manufacture electronics components with an estimated investment of ₹ 100 crore.
The decision followed the easing of certain SEZ (special economic zone) rules to promote the manufacturing of semiconductors and electronics components.
"Subsequently, the Board of Approval for SEZs has accorded approval to the proposals received from Micron Semiconductor Technology India Pvt Ltd (MSTI) and Hubballi Durable Goods Cluster Private Ltd (Aequs Group) for setting up SEZs for manufacturing of semiconductors and electronic components, respectively," the commerce ministry said in a statement.
Since manufacturing in these sectors is highly capital intensive, import dependent and involves longer gestation periods before turning profitable, rule amendments have been carried out to promote pioneering investments and boost manufacturing in these high technology sectors, it said.
As per a change in the rule, an SEZ set up exclusively for the manufacturing of semiconductors or electronic components will require a minimum contiguous land area of only 10 hectares, reduced from the earlier requirement of 50 hectares.
Now, the value of goods received and supplied on a free-of-cost basis will be included in Net Foreign Exchange (NFE) calculations.
"Moreover, amendments have been made in Rule 18 of the SEZ Rules to allow SEZ units in the semiconductor as well as electronics component manufacturing sector to also supply domestically into the Domestic Tariff area after payment of applicable duties," it added.
The amendments will boost high-tech manufacturing in the country, spur the growth of the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem and create high-skilled jobs in the country, it added.
These amendments have been notified by the Department of Commerce on June 3 2025.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Best of BS Opinion: Crossing the river with memory, not just momentum
Best of BS Opinion: Crossing the river with memory, not just momentum

Business Standard

timea day ago

  • Business Standard

Best of BS Opinion: Crossing the river with memory, not just momentum

Progress rarely comes with a paved path. More often, it's like crossing a river barefoot, feet probing for stones beneath cold currents, steadying after each slip. The smarter ones don't just step; they remember where they slipped last time. Today, India also stands midstream, doing just that, feeling its way forward with care, learning from the stumbles of its past. Let's dive in. Start with the country's economic statistics. The overhaul of the GDP, CPI, and IIP, long overdue, could finally give policymakers a clearer view of the real economy. With e-commerce data, digital payments, and wider price tracking entering the frame, the next set of figures will be sharper. Yet, as our first editorial notes, we risk stepping on old stones: relying on outdated 2011 Census baselines and omitting a Producer Price Index. We've wobbled here before. This time, better grip is non-negotiable. That same caution guides India's approach to the gig economy. A projected 61 million strong by 2047, this workforce could transform livelihoods or fracture under neglect. Gig jobs have grown fast, but their foundations are shaky—lacking basic protections or benefits. A regulatory slip like that of the textile mills could be disastrous, highlights our second editorial. This time, the challenge is to step smart, offering security without crushing the spirit of innovation. But even smart feet need firm ground. As M Govinda Rao argues, India's economic leap, from overtaking Japan to chasing developed-nation status, needs more than momentum. Without reforms in judiciary, contract enforcement, and governance, we'll keep slipping on the same institutional stones. Foreign capital won't wade into murky waters, no matter how tempting the destination. Kanika Datta adds another layer, that real reform, especially on land and labour, demands political consensus. The ghosts of Singur and stalled SEZs show what happens when politics turns rocky. India needs not bravado abroad, but bipartisan clarity at home, consensus-crafted policies that prevent tripping over turf wars. And Aditi Phadnis offers a quieter, emotional reminder in her review of An Unlikely Friendship: The Chief Minister and the Spy by A S Dulat. In Kashmir, where Delhi's distrust repeatedly unseated Farooq Abdullah, a more sensitive step could have built lasting bridges. That too was a stone misjudged, and remembered. Stay tuned, and remember, if we move with memory, not just momentum, we may just reach the other bank steadier!

Ahead of the monsoon, MPIDC takes up infra development, drainage cleaning tasks in industrial areas
Ahead of the monsoon, MPIDC takes up infra development, drainage cleaning tasks in industrial areas

Time of India

timea day ago

  • Time of India

Ahead of the monsoon, MPIDC takes up infra development, drainage cleaning tasks in industrial areas

Indore: Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (MPIDC) has commenced infrastructure development and cleaning initiatives in Pithampur to address waterlogging issues during the rainy season. This move is seen as ensuring smooth transportation and commute for employees in one of the state's largest industrial belts. As part of the monsoon plans, MPIDC has initiated construction of 70 kilometres of RCC drains and cross-drainage systems in Sector 3, with approximately 39 kilometres already completed at an investment of around Rs 40 crore. This extensive drainage system aims to channel excess rainwater effectively, reducing the risk of flooding. MPIDC Indore region executive director Himanshu Prajapati said, "We are committed to improving infrastructure of industrial areas to ensure uninterrupted operations during the monsoon. In Sector 3, we are constructing 70 kilometres of new RCC drains and cross-drainage systems, with about 39 kilometres already completed. Additionally, we are currently cleaning existing drains, and similar cleaning works are ongoing in other industrial areas also. " In addition, the MPIDC has allotted work for the cleaning of existing drains in Sectors 1 through 5, including the Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This drain cleaning initiative is underway at a total cost of Rs 95.92 lakh, with work progressing steadily. To further combat waterlogging in Sectors 1 and 2, the construction of 20.3 kilometres of new RCC drains and culverts has been initiated, amounting to an investment of Rs 12.75 crore. Local industrialists and associations said every year they face rain-related disruptions and infrastructure work may ease their problems. Rajesh Sharma, a factory owner in Pithampur said, "Timely intervention by MPIDC is crucial for us. These efforts can significantly improve our productivity and reduce the challenges we face during the rainy season."

Multi-partisanship for reforms can help India unlock stalled growth
Multi-partisanship for reforms can help India unlock stalled growth

Business Standard

timea day ago

  • Business Standard

Multi-partisanship for reforms can help India unlock stalled growth

Following the global multi-party outreach to articulate India's response to Pakistan's state-sponsored terrorism, the Prime Minister spoke of institutionalising the idea. The idea of multi-partisanship is undoubtedly inspired. It is a pity no one has thought of applying the concept in other critical areas of governance. For instance, a multi-party consensus on economic policy would be splendid, especially since much of stalled next-gen reform requires buy-in from state governments ruled by parties in opposition to the ruling coalition at the Centre. Right now, a majority in Parliament thanks to its allies means that the ruling dispensation does not need to take anyone in the Opposition on board to fulfil its political agenda. With Operation Sindoor, Narendra Modi was pushing at an open door when it came to multi-partisanship. Getting a consensus on economic reform is a different matter. It requires negotiating contradictory political calculations. It may not always work but the consequences of a lack of political consensus has proven a significant hurdle for private investment in the kind of job-creating greenfield manufacturing projects that India urgently seeks. Consider land acquisition. All private companies struggle to acquire land at scale because of the stiff stipulation in the Land Acquisition Act requiring 80 per cent prior consent from affected families (70 per cent in the case of private-public partnership projects) plus a social impact study. As a workaround, corporations employ land aggregators as intermediaries to pool in parcels of land, but the process is cumbersome, expensive, and ultimately self-defeating. Yet, difficulties in acquiring land have been a key reason India has struggled to make a success of its nearly two-decade-old Special Economic Zones policy, which was supposed to provide the rocket fuel for India's economic growth a la China. Instead, the government has successively scaled down rules governing minimum SEZ size, a change that has not made an appreciable difference to investor interest. When the Modi government first came to power, it briskly sought to underline its pro-business credentials by passing an ordinance easing the land acquisition pre-conditions in some cases and doing away with the social impact study. The amendments were passed in the Lok Sabha but stalled in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling party did not have a majority. Though the ordinance was re-promulgated three times, it was allowed to lapse. The political furore that chipped away at the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'common man' positioning has not encouraged the party to reintroduce it in its second or third terms. Ructions over land acquisition for private investment burst into contemporary political consciousness in the 2000s in West Bengal and reflects how competing political interests can stall progress. An attempt at consensus between the belatedly reforming Left Front government in West Bengal and Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress over the Tata Nano plant in Singur would have been a sensible route. Had the plant come up, it would have been a game changer for a declining state. But Ms Banerjee's decision to co-opt a traditional Left Front bastion — peasants and cultivators, land losers in the Singur project — weakened the prospect of negotiating with a regime backing big business. The same impulse encouraged her to back land-losing protesters opposing a chemical hub proposed by the Left Front government in Nandigram and Nayachar. Land loser championship brought Ms Banerjee to power in the state but this recent history has not inspired business and industry. The thing is, this situation need not be zero-sum. Politicians have to legitimately consider the welfare of land losers in large projects even if the compensation is generous. What will they do with the money? Where will they go? At the same time, discouraging investment for lack of land is hardly helpful to a state where quality jobs are scarce. And yet we have the experience in China of balancing land-loser apprehensions with the famed Township and Village Enterprises that came up alongside mammoth factories. Instead of the confrontational approach of ordinances, a multi-party consensus exploring such a solution on a national scale could well have positioned India as the first choice for global investors' China Plus One strategies — ahead of Vietnam, Mexico or Indonesia. Labour reforms, another obstacle for large investors, has had a marginally better fate. In 2019-20, Parliament enacted four labour codes to streamline and consolidate labour laws to improve its 'ease of doing business' ranking. Though the World Bank discontinued the ranking in 2021, the government persisted with its efforts to persuade states to enact the laws. The fact that the BJP or its allies are in power in 21 of the country's states and Union Territories has played a role in expanding the adoption of these codes but the results are variable. For instance, according to research by Business Standard, 20 states/Union Territories have adopted the higher thresholds for hiring and firing and 25 have committed to fixed term employment and 31 will relax laws to permit women to work at night. So land and labour, the two key factors of production, remain sticking points in the reforms portfolio as do power pricing and the bewildering variety of local approvals that investors need before setting up a unit. Picking the brains of the best political leaders in the business across party lines in unravelling these Gordian knots in the ease of doing business would be better than packing them off on taxpayer-funded foreign trips where the outcomes are yet unclear.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store