Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said his government would try its best to get the closed Nokia plant in Chennai up and running once again. Speaking in Rajya Sabha, the prime minister blamed the previous UPA government for the fiasco which led to the closure of the plant leaving nearly 1,500 people jobless.
Asking the Congress party to look into the mirror before accusing them, Modi enlisted names of schemes earlier renamed and relaunched by Congress governments. The NDA government has so far cleared 350 projects and any new project proposal will be cleared within 60 days, the prime minister said.
According to media reports last week, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had rebuked the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) for not expediting the revival of the stalled Nokia plant in Sriperumbudur.
The plant was shut down on November 1 at a time Modi and his government pitches for 'Make in India' campaign.
The major step was taken after global software major Microsoft, which acquired the Finland-based Nokia's global devices and services business, including assets in India for $7.2 billion April 25, decided to suspend manufacturing handsets from its Chennai plant though it could not take possession of it due to legal battles over a tax notice from the Tamil Nadu government and the Supreme Court in March. The government put a freeze on Nokia's assets due to a tax dispute over an estimated Rs 23,000 crore.