Six states compete to woo global smartphone manufacturing giants

Six state governments including Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra are in the race to attract global smartphone manufacturing giants to set up plants in their states by offering a slew of incentives and subsidies over what the Centre has already offered them under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, reports Economic Times.

With global smartphone makers applying for Centre’s Rs 41,000 crore PLI scheme to set up bases in India and produce smartphones and components worth more than Rs 11.5 lakh crore in the nation over the next five years, the States are trying hard to woo these manufacturers in a bid to attract the massive investments which these projects would bring in.

Racing ahead of all others, Uttar Pradesh government has already written to Apple Inc, and also its second-largest global contract manufacturer Pegatron, offering 20 per cent added incentive on capital invested, and extra 25 per cent subsidy on land. Pegatron is the only remaining contract manufacturer of Apple’s iPhones which is yet to set base in India and has applied under PLI.

The state government is also hopeful about Samsung, which already has the world’s largest smartphone manufacturing facility in Noida, expanding its existing facility.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has also jumped into the race to garner the massive investments by highlighting its attractive electronics manufacturing policy. Its is said to be engaged with all the companies which have applied under PLI, ever since the scheme was announced by the Centre.

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka are also in the fray, with several of the smartphone makers already having their plants in these states. Swarajya