Electronics poised to become world's largest manufacturing sector: Centre

The electronics industry is poised to become the largest manufacturing sector globally and in India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S Krishnan said on Saturday.

The senior official observed that Tamil Nadu's 'electronics manufacturing cluster' is emerging as the country's frontrunner in global electronics manufacturing.

Krishnan made these remarks at the inauguration of the Zetwerk Electronics manufacturing facility, a contract manufacturing firm, by Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The event, held in Sriperumbudur, was attended by Tamil Nadu Industries Minister TRB Rajaa, Zetwerk CEO and Co-founder Amrit Acharya, and President of Electronics Business Josh Foulger.

Expressing his pleasure at participating in the event, Krishnan, a 1989-batch IAS officer, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious target of achieving $500 billion in annual electronics manufacturing. He added that without Tamil Nadu's full participation, reaching this goal would be "very difficult."  "Nearly 20 per cent, or a quarter, of this target will need to be met through production in this region. Given the high-quality human resources engaged in manufacturing, many electronics manufacturers are keen to establish a base here," he remarked.

"The most important factor attracting industries to this area is the quality of human resources and their ability to support manufacturers in expanding operations and exporting globally. This is yet another feather in Tamil Nadu's cap," he said.

Krishnan said the factory, the seventh facility of Zetwerk Electronics in the country, is yet another feather in the state's cap.

"Zetwerk's new unit will undoubtedly make a significant contribution to the nation's goal of reaching $500 billion in electronics manufacturing," he said.

"Electronics is poised to become the largest manufacturing sector globally, in India, and particularly in Tamil Nadu. Specifically, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts have the potential to become the country's largest electronics manufacturing cluster," he said.

Noting that Tamil Nadu was home to the largest beneficiaries of the electronics PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme, he said that under the IT hardware PLI scheme, seven out of 27 companies were located in the state.

Meanwhile, after inaugurating the manufacturing facility, Vaishnaw visited the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) campus in Thaiyur to get a firsthand account of the Hyperloop test facility. Later, he interacted with the faculty and students.