Foxconn, HP, Lenovo among 32 applicants under PLI IT hardware scheme for making laptops, PCs
New Delhi, Aug 30: As many as 32 companies, including big names like Foxconn Group, HP, Dell and Lenovo, have applied for incentives under the Rs 17,000-crore Production Linked Incentive IT hardware scheme for manufacturing laptops, PCs and servers, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.
Others who have thrown their hat into the ring include Flextronics, Dixon, Acer, Thompson, VVDN, HP Enterprises and Asus, Vaishnaw, who is Minister for Electronics and IT, said terming the response from companies as "fabulous". Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple has, however, not applied so far.
PLI for IT hardware covers laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs, servers and ultra-small form factor devices.
India is wooing global IT and electronics players with policy sweeteners and incentive schemes, making a push to position itself as a global powerhouse for hi-tech manufacturing.
Vaishnaw said 32 companies have applied under the PLI scheme for IT hardware "which is a very good response, much more than we had anticipated".
Foxconn Group, HP, Dell and Lenovo, too, have applied under the ambitious scheme.
"India is emerging as a trusted supply chain partner and value added partner...companies are happy to come to India for manufacturing and design work," the Minister said at a media briefing.
Electronics manufacturing in India has witnessed consistent growth with 17 per cent Compounded Annual Growth Rate in the last 8 years. This year it surpassed a major benchmark in production - USD 105 billion (about Rs 9 lakh crore).
India has emerged as the world's second-largest manufacturer of mobile phones. Exports of mobile phones crossed a major milestone of USD 11 billion this year (about Rs 90,000 crore).
The budgetary outlay of the PLI scheme for IT hardware is Rs 17,000 crore, with six-year tenure. The expected incremental production under the scheme is pegged at Rs 3.35 lakh crore, and the incremental investment is Rs 2,430 crore, and the scheme is seen generating 75,000 direct jobs, and potential for indirect employment is three times that.
"Dixon will have one plant in Noida which will have 20,000 employees," Vaishnaw said adding that the facility has been constructed already and it soon start functioning.
The window for submission applications for PLI IT hardware scheme closes tonight at 1159 hours, though Apple has not yet put in its application under the incentive scheme.
Many players are investing resources in designing as well. "Many people are investing in design services also...they would like to have the design also done in India, that build on value addition further," he said.
Most companies will begin production from April 2024, and the rest from 2025.
India has scripted a success story in mobile phone production and a similar Make in India success story is expected to play out in the manufacturing of laptops, PCs and servers.
Many of these applicants will be using semiconductors manufactured in India, bolstering an end-to-end ecosystem framework.
The Minister said that applicants and companies are not concerned about the import licence move.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
