Vision meets reality: Taiwanese iPhone maker Pegatron heads Tamil Nadu with Rs 1100 cr investment

Chennai, Oct 14: Tamil Nadu government has roped in Taiwanese firm Pegatron to invest Rs 1,100 crore for the much-awaited iPhone project, which is expected to generate over 14,000 employment opportunities in the state.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin had on September 30 inaugurated Pegatron's Smartphone factory in Mahindra World City in Chengalpattu district and this is a significant development in keeping with his vision to see the state as a mobile manufacturing hub in the near future.

In the ceremony, MK Stalin said Tamil Nadu contributes up to 20 per cent of India's electronics production and added that companies like Salcomp, Dell, Bosch, Samsung, Foxconn, Tata Electronics are operating their plants in Tamil Nadu. Sharing his vision to see Tamil Nadu as the number one mobile phone manufacturing hub, a distinction now held by China, he added that Ford, Hyundai, and many more companies had started their plants in the state during former CM Dr. Kalaignar Karunanidhi's term. Chief Minister Stalin also requested Pegatron for their expansion in Tamil Nadu as the state has always stood front in development and has welcomed several industries and companies for their ventures and establishments in the state.

Focus on women empowerment

Thanking Pegatron for showing faith in the state and choosing it for setting up their new production unit, he informed that most of the 1400 jobs generated by the new venture would employ women, for it would only strengthen the Dravidian Model governance that had committed itself to empower women socially and economically. As of now, Tamil Nadu has a large number of women employees. The DMK government is immensely supportive towards the growth of women and has been consistently focusing on providing a safe and respectful working environment to them.

As a part of its initiative to empower women and make their lives safer and independent, the government has introduced free bus service for women besides introducing schemes to provide subsidies to companies that employed more women, said Stalin.

TN's contribution to increase

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, while addressing said, "It is a symbol of the partnership between the Centre and the states to help India achieve the target of $300 billion in electronics manufacturing, from the current $75 billion."

Chief Minister Stalin, incumbent Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology of India Rajiv Chandrasekar, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, TM Anbarasan, apart from Lin Chiu Tan, Managing Director of Pegatron Technology India, Denese Yao, Senior Vice President of Pegatron, Kuo Shing Jung, CEO of Pegatron Technology India were also present for the occasion.