PM has assured CM Shinde of Vedanta-Foxconn like project for Maha: Minister

Under fire from the Opposition for losing out on the mega Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project to Gujarat, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday said Prime minister Narendra Modi has assured the state will get a similar project or even a better one.

Talking to reporters here, state Industries Minister Uday Samant said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde spoke to the prime minister on Tuesday after Gujarat bagged the project.

The project was proposed to come up in Maharashtra but the Vedanta-Foxconn finalised Gujarat and jointly inked a Memorandum of Understanding with that government on Tuesday, triggering a political blame game.

The chief minister put forth his views before the prime minister on Vednata (Foxconn semi-conductor project). The CM held a detailed discussion with the prime minister on this matter. The PM has assured the youth that a similar project, or a better one, will be given to Maharashtra, Samant said.

The minister claimed that discussions for finalising the project for Maharashtra were going on for the last eight months and meetings were also held in Davos.

He said the Centre and the Shinde government are committed to addressing the unemployment issues.

Shiv Sena leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray had said the project was almost finalised by the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. He alleged that the current dispensation has lost the confidence of potential investors.

A joint venture of the Indian conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government on Tuesday to set up a semiconductor and display manufacturing unit in the state.

Vedanta-Foxconn would invest Rs 1,54,000 crore to set up the facility, which would create one lakh job opportunities.