With three semiconductor units coming up near Khurda, the Odisha government has started readying nearby hospitals to respond to potential industrial emergencies involving hazardous chemicals and gases used in chip manufacturing.
The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for heightened industrial safety across India’s emerging semiconductor ecosystem, and advisories from the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The ministry has warned states about the use of highly toxic materials in semiconductor fabrication and packaging, urging them to establish robust emergency-handling mechanisms.
According to official sources, three firms, RIR Power Electronics Ltd, SiCSem Pvt Ltd, and 3D Glass Solutions Inc, are setting up semiconductor fabrication, outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing (OSAT), and assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) facilities at Info Valley-II in Khurda.
While RIR Power Electronics Ltd’s silicon carbide plant is expected to begin full-scale commercial production by March next year, the other two units are likely to become operational within the next two years.
The Electronics and IT department has asked the Health and Family Welfare department to ensure that all government and private hospitals in the vicinity, especially those in Info Valley-II and the wider Bhubaneswar urban belt, are equipped and trained to handle medical emergencies arising from accidental exposure to hazardous substances.
The department has circulated a detailed list of chemicals used in semiconductor fabrication and packaging, along with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), to sensitise doctors, paramedics, and emergency personnel.
Hospitals have been directed to strengthen emergency response systems and follow the medical protocols on “Emergency treatment and antidotes for semiconductor process gases and chemicals” prepared by the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali, in consultation with AIIMS, New Delhi.
“Hospitals in the region will be readied and alerted about symptoms, first-line treatment protocols, and antidotes for exposure to highly reactive gases and corrosive chemicals used in chip manufacturing,” a senior health official said.
The Health department is also expected to issue detailed guidelines soon to both public and private hospitals on stocking antidotes, protective equipment, conducting emergency drills, and training healthcare workers.
CM to lay foundation stone for SiCSem semiconductor facility
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will on Saturday perform the ground-breaking ceremony for SiCSem Pvt Ltd’s compound semiconductor fabrication and ATMP unit at Info Valley-II.
A subsidiary of Archean Chemical Industries Ltd, SiCSem will invest Rs 2,067 crore to establish the plant, which will process 60,000 SiC wafers annually and package around 96 million MOSFETs and diodes for key sectors including electric vehicles, renewable energy, and smart grid systems.
Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with Odisha Electronics & IT Minister Mukesh Mahaling, will attend the ceremony.
Vaishnaw will also witness the signing of an MoU between the Ministry of Railways and the Odisha government at Lok Seva Bhawan to enhance railway infrastructure and connectivity across the state.
Later, he will visit Bhubaneswar railway station to review ongoing redevelopment and modernisation works under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
