CM Stalin launches scheme to push electronics manufacturing in TN

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday launched the Tamil Nadu Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme to drive value-added production and attract large-scale investments in component manufacturing.

The scheme, first to be launched by any state in the country ever since the Union government unveiled its component manufacturing scheme around a week ago, envisioned an investment target of Rs 30,000 crore and 60,000 high-quality jobs in the state.

"From leading in smartphone exports to now driving the future in components such as camera/display modules and sub-assemblies, sensors, HDI/flexi PCBs, Li-ion cells, SMD passive components, we are proving once more why Tamil Nadu is the engine powering India's manufacturing growth story," State Industries minister TRB Rajaa said in a post on X.

Talking to media persons late at his chamber in the state secretariat, Rajaa said, "We are trying to enter niche segments which will make the Tamil Nadu ecosystem unique." Asked about challenges from competitor states, he said, "Challenges will come from other countries, not other states, because it will take at least a decade for any state to build the kind of capability like Tamil Nadu. By then, our capability would have entered the next level."

On developing clusters for the electronic components manufacturing scheme, the minister said, "The state will only enable. Clustering will happen on its own on demand. We should not drag people like the Union government, which is always trying to take it to one state. But the problem is, there is no possibility for an ecosystem there as there is no talent, no infrastructure and no knowledge. When you enable a state already doing well on these lines, you get easy clustering."

Asked about the lack of skilled manpower for the high-end job scheme, the minister said, "We have 150,000 engineers graduating every year. When we brought Vinfast to Thoothukudi, they said they are going to fetch manpower from other districts and even other states. But MP Kanimozhi and I put the collector on the job. We sent staff for training under the Naan Mudhalvan scheme. They trained 344 youths, 301 were selected and given high-end training. Of them, 200 were acquired by Vinfast."