CHENNAI: Taiwanese consumer electronic gadget contract manufacturer Foxconn is expected to create over 5,000 jobs in Tamil Nadu.The company will invest Rs 300 crore in expansion of its operations here and the government has approved allotment of 49 acres, said Tamil Nadu Industries Minister M C Sampath.
“We have granted approval for the 49-acre facility where already 7,000 employees are working. The company has said that it will invest around Rs 300 crore and will employ 5,000 more people in January,” the minister said while interacting with reporters on the sidelines of Connect-2017 organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
The government has cleared 49 land for Foxconn for expansion in their existing place itself based on the their assurance that they would generate employment to the tune of 30,000 in three years, Sampath told reporters.
Foxconn India has two manufacturing units at Sriperumbudur near Chennai, which began operations in 2006. The facilities were set up at an investment of Rs 850 crore and were employing 6,000 people when production was at its peak.
The company had, however, some labour unrest following the management’s decision to suspend production at the facility as Nokia — one of its largest customers — excluded the Chennai facility from the deal it signed with Microsoft.
The company has assured the government it would provide a total of 30,000 jobs over the next three years, equivalent to what the Nokia factory in Chennai was providing before it closed down its operations.
Foxconn India has two manufacturing units at Sriperumbudur near Chennai which began operations in 2006. The facilities were set up at an investment of Rs 850 crore and was employing 6,000 people when production was at its peak.
Earlier, in his address, Information Technology Minister M Manikandan said the government has purchased 5.16 lakh laptops costing Rs 800 crore to the exchequer under the the free laptop scheme.
The distribution of free laptops to students was one of the pet projects of ruling AIADMK government which was formally launched by the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in 2011.
There are 32.35 lakh laptop computers that have been supplied to students at free of cost from 2011-12 to 2015-16, he said.
"The total expenditure is Rs 4,893 crore", he said.
For the supply of laptops under the sixth phase, he said, the balance requirement of 5.16 lakh laptop computers at a cost of Rs 800 crore have been purchased and the supply was going on.
(with PTI inputs)