Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, announced that Assam will soon have its first-ever semiconductor packaging plant worth nearly Rs 25,000 Crore. The Union Minsiter made this announcement during his address at the first-ever Digital India future SKILLS Summit, which was held at the Birinchi Kumar Baruah Auditorium, Gauhati University on Thursday.
Chandrasekhar said, “It was because of the leadership of Honourable Chief Minsiter Himanta Biswa Sarma, a semiconductor packaging plant will be established in partnership with the Assam Government and TATA Group. We will soon obtain all approvals and submit it to the cabinet for final approval. Young Indians aspiring to enter the world of semiconductors won't have to leave their state or travel to other cities anymore.”
The Minister also emphasized how India's economy has undergone significant progress over the past decade, from being ‘fragile 5’ to now ranked as world's ‘top 5’ economy. This significant milestone under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unleashed many opportunities for young Indians, particularly in emerging technology sectors where India is on the same starting line as the rest of the world.
“Through futureSKILLS, we want to convey to our young Indians that in the coming years, due to the policies of our PM Modi ji, numerous opportunities will open up for them. Students need to empower and equip themselves with skills in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, and semiconductors. Today, the world's biggest companies in these fields, including NVIDIA, Intel, AMD, HCL, Wipro, and IBM, are present here today in Guwahati. They all share a singular message - there are tremendous job opportunities, but building skills for it is very important. The objective of this summit is to motivate young Indians to fully immerse themselves in the world of skills,” the Minister added.
The Minister affirmed that with initiatives like futureSKILLS, India is poised to lead the way in shaping the future of technology. This endeavor will cultivate a globally competitive talent pool accessible not only to Indian companies but also to organizations worldwide, setting a new standard in the global tech landscape.
He said, "Our Hon'ble PM has created a three-pronged strategy to shape the future of tech -- futureDESIGN for design innovation, futureLABS for innovation around systems, and futureSKILLS for preparing our Young Indians from Guwahati to Mumbai to Bengaluru to J&K with capabilities in emerging sectors. Today, Indians are very important players and participants in shaping the future of emerging technologies like AI, semiconductors, and cybersecurity."
The Digital India futureSKILLS Summit hosted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) through the National Institute of Electronics and IT (NIELIT) witnessed the convergence of esteemed dignitaries, industry leaders, academia, policymakers and technology enthusiasts to deliberate on strategies for Catalyzing future-ready talent for India & the World.
State Education Minister Ranoj Pegu who was also present at the occasion claimed that the Assam Government has taken many steps for digital skilling of youths.
He said, “Projects worth Rs. 1800 crore have been implemented by the Assam Govt. to skill our youths on industry 4.0 across 77 polytechnics and ITIs. Recently an agreement has been signed with TATA and also allotted 150-acre land to establish semiconductor industry near Guwahati.”
Among the key speakers of the summit were Sh. Kuntal Sensarma, Economic Adviser, MeitY, Ms. Jaya Jagadish, Head, AMD India, Shri. Ruchir Dixit, Vice President & Country Manager, Siemens EDA, Shri Lingraju Sawkar, President, Kyndryl India, Shri. Ganesh Gopalan, CEO and Co-Founder, Gnani.AI, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director, IIT Bombay.
Emphasizing on the need of skilling, Sh. Kuntal Sensarma, Joint Secretary & Economic Adviser, MeitY said that Skills are the passport to prosperity, MeitY is focusing on Skilling on various aspects of Emerging Technologies.
The summit facilitated more than 30 strategic collaborations between NIELIT and leading industry players and academia such as Intel, HCL, Microsoft, Kyndryl, IIM Raipur, IIITM Gwalior and Wipro, etc. These collaborations aim to bridge the gap between academia and industry, ensuring that educational programs are tailored to meet industry standards and demands.
In addition to this, four engaging panel discussions were held on key themes such as Semicon India, IndiaAI, Cyber Security & Emerging Technologies and Digital India's Talent for the Global Workforce.
