Pune, July 15, 2024: MEITY Secretary Shri S Krishnan stated that semiconductor manufacturing capacity is a matter of resilience for India, not a competitive edge. Shri Krishnan was speaking at the inaugural session of Semiconductor Ecosystem Conference 2024 (SEC2024) organized by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) in association with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) in Pune.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed on this occasion between MCCIA and STPI. This collaboration, led by Mr. Ajay Shrivastava, Director of STPI Maharashtra & Goa, and Mr. Prashant Girbane, DG of MCCIA, marks a new chapter in technological and industrial innovation. Shri S Krishnan IAS, Secretary, MEITY, and Mr. Deepak Karandikar, President of MCCIA, were a part of this momentous occasion.

In his inaugural address, Shri S Krishnan said, “India is too large a country to be dependent on semiconductor imports. We need to focus on large manufacturing setups as well as building an ecosystem comprising of materials, equipment suppliers with high-precision manufacturing capabilities. Having semiconductor chips designed by Indian companies will be a significant event for India in the next decade. Maharashtra, especially Pune, will play a big role in training key human resources for building this ecosystem.”

Setting the context for the SEC2024, Mr. Sanjeev Keskar, Convenor, SEC2024, emphasized on manufacturing chips for products that are consumed the most in India. He also highlighted the importance and opportunity in compound semiconductor manufacturing.

Shri Arvind Kumar, DG, STPI, in his special address noted the three trends emerging in India. " Innovation coming from tier 2 & 3 towns, deeptech startups coming up in large numbers, and upcoming electronic manufacturing are the three trends emerging in India. MCCIA and STPI can help in all three facets. Semiconductor manufacturing, fabless design, and innovation will contribute to electronic manufacturing,” Shri Kumar noted.

Shri Sanket Bhondve IAS, JS, MEITY said, “Pune is known as Oxford of the East from educational perspective, and it should now become the Silicon Valley of the East from the semiconductor and technological perspective.”

In his special address by Shri Pradip Chandren, Addl. Devpt Comm., DoI, GoM, stated that the Maharashtra Government is working on several policy issues. “We are confident that we will come up with at least one or two policies before the assembly election code of conduct comes up. Incentives like stamp duty, power subsidies, will continue in the new policies,” Shri Chandren explained.

Mr. Deepak Karandikar, President, MCCIA, emphasized the importance of the semiconductor industry in his welcome address. Mr. Karandikar was optimistic that the deliberations during SEC2024 would be fruitful and would lead to meaningful collaborations.

Mr. Prashant Girbane, DG, MCCIA, in his opening remarks said, “Pune city has a history of coming together for a cause. Pune contributes to economic development of the country by leading in the manufacturing, IT, and services industry and had taken the lead to create clusters for food processing, automotive, components, and electronics manufacturing. With SEC 2024, Pune will also lead in the evolving semiconductor manufacturing sector.”

Mr. Ajit Chigteri, Group Head, SEDG, gave the vote of thanks.