Semi-conductor policy to be taken in the cabinet tomorrow

New Delhi, Jan 10 (UNI) The much-awaited semi-conductor policy is likely to be placed in the cabinet tomorrow, the government today said.

The policy, which got a mention in Finance Minister P Chidambaram budget last year was delayed due to a mis-match between opinions of the finance ministry and IT ministry, on the issue of the fiscal incentives package for investors setting up fab units.

The finance ministry showed concern about the incentives, as returns from investments in the fab projects take a long time, at least eight-nine years.

The semi-conductor policy is anticipated to announce a host of sops that will be available for bulge-bracket chip makers planning to inject billions of dollars in assembly and testing units or fabrication plants.

Giving a right indication to the semi-conductor policy, the Union Minister for Communication and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran has said that the semiconductor policy would attract investments in photovoltaics, LCD panels and semiconductor.

The policy will help to add over six million new telecom subscribers a month and create a base of over 175 million subscribers.

UNI