Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone for a Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor assembly and test facility in Assam’s Morigaon district on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was present at the event organised at the site of the facility in Jagiroad, said today is a landmark day for Assam and the North East.
“This is a historic day as we are taking a strong step towards a bright future,” Modi said on the occasion.
The prime minister also laid the foundation stone for two semiconductor facilities in Gujarat.
The ‘Made in India’ semiconductor chips will take the country towards self-reliance and modernity, he said.
“This is the first time that an investment of this huge amount (Rs 27,000 crore) is being made in the state, which will put Assam and the North East on the industrial map of the country. This has been possible only due to the initiative taken by the prime minister,” Sarma said on the occasion.
This is an “emotional day” for the people of Assam as the facility is coming up on the site of the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd (HPCL) which had to be closed down in the state, he said.
“The people were very sad about the closure of HPCL. I, however, looked for possibilities and now a new era of development has come,” Sarma said.
The chief minister said that this was the beginning, and the people of the state should ‘remain positive because this is a new Assam and they should realise that bandhs or picketing will not help them in any way’.
The greenfield project of Tata Electronics at Jagiroad will involve an investment of Rs 27,000 crore and will generate employment opportunities for more than 30,000 people. The first phase of the facility is expected to be operational by mid-2025.
He expressed his gratitude to Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran for this ‘milestone and for bringing hope to the industrially backward state like Assam’.