Assam to soon have a Rs 25,000-cr semiconductor packaging plant

Union minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Thursday announced that Assam would soon have a Rs 25,000 crore-worth semiconductor packaging plant, in what could be the single largest investment in the private sector in the state.

Speaking at the Digital India Future Skills Summit at Gauhati University here, Chandrashekhar underlined the significance of future skills encompassing emerging technologies such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, advanced computing and cyber security among others could provide opportunities for students and the youth, paving way for creation of a talent pool for technology companies.

“I reinforce that students of this generation are the luckiest since Independence, with the government and system coming to your doorstep presenting you the opportunities to realise your dreams and preparing an enabling framework simultaneously,” the Union minister said.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a three-pronged strategy to shape the future of technology – whose components are ‘future design’ for design innovation, ‘future lab’ for innovation around systems and ‘future skills’ for preparing young Indians with capabilities in emerging sectors,” he said.

“Future skills are about you, the students and the opportunities and skills you need to have to pursue those opportunities. This summit will be an annual event which will connect those who want talent and those who want to be talented,” he said, adding that “India’s technology and innovation eco-system is at the most exciting inflection point – representing unprecedented opportunities for jobs and entrepreneurship.”

Speaking at the inaugural session, Assam education minister Ranoj Pegu said the state government would soon allot land to the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) here to house a full-fledged institute.

Organised by the Union ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) and NIELIT, the summit – first such event to be held in the Northeast – saw the participation of various global tech giants. The Shillong Times