New Delhi: Karnataka IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday sought to play down the US chipmaker Micron Technology’s investment in Gujarat as a “scripted story of success” by the western state.
The US multinational has pledged the largest investment under the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM) of USD 2.75 billion to set up an assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP)plant in Gujarat.
Kharge, addressing a media conference, wondered if anything significant in terms of investment was coming from Micron Technology. The governments of India and Gujarat were making the lion’s share of investments. The Centre and the State had shared 50% and 30% each of the equity, and Micron was investing only 20%, he added. “Does Gujarat have funds to share 80% of investment,” Kharge asked.
Karnataka’s industries department was also in talks with the company and hopeful of clinching the investment until Gujarat sealed it.
Micron’s Indian American CEO Sanjay Mehrotra had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat in July and discussed plans to bolster the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India.
