Vellore is set to emerge as the first district in Tamil Nadu to develop an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) soon.
A group of over 40 entrepreneurs have resolved to apply to the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY) to get Vellore district notified as a ‘Brownfield’ EMC, at a convention under the aegis of Kramski Stamping and Molding India at its campus near Pallikonda on Friday.
The meet was held in collaboration with the VIT university Technology Business Incubator (VITTBI) and the Delhi-based Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA). A number of clusters focused on automotive, footwear, coir, embroidery among others are already functioning with government support in the district. The EMC will be the first such electronics initiative supported by the Government of India.
S Nagarajan, general manager (operations) of Kramski said Vellore had suitable climatic conditions (extreme heat with low humidity conditions) and geographical location, along with logistics and support from the training and educational institutions to promote electronics industries in a big way. He said that Vellore would be an ideal district to develop a Brownfield cluster, as a number of tiny, small and medium enterprises were already involved in manufacturing value added components to support electronic industries.
The first step would be to work towards getting the government notification for the district to promote the EMC.
Nagarajan said Kramski wants to help local entrepreneurs utilise the Modified Special Incentives Package Scheme (MSIPS) as the government had already allocated around `10,000 crore for the scheme. Once notified, any entrepreneur who wants to be a part of the cluster can approach the DEITY for assistance. The existing industries could also seek assistance for expansion, improving R&D and testing facilities, he added.
Umesh Anadani, additional secretary of the ELCINA, pointed out that the National Electronics Policy 2012 aimed to create a globally competitive electronics design and manufacturing industry to meet the country’s needs and serve the international market. The clusters would focus on creating an eco-system pertaining to the development of 29 sectors.
“China is outdoing us in electronic manufacturing and this has to be offset with the help of the new schemes offered by the government,” he noted. He wanted the entrepreneurs here to work on getting the notification for Vellore and apply for availing the assistance under MSIPS before 2015.