Govt appoints advisory committee for semiconductor manufacturing in India

The advisory committee for semiconductor manufacturing in India has been formed, the government said in a statement on Wednesday, following a comprehensive policy on semiconductor manufacturing approved by the government last year. 

The committee will be chaired by Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister of electronics and IT with the minister of state (MeitY) as the vice-chairperson and secretary, MeitY as convenor, and will comprise 17 members including government officials, academicians, domain and industry experts. Some of them include Vinod Dham, founder of Indo-US Venture Partners, Ajit Manocha, president of US-based SEMI, Neelkanth Mishra from Credit Suisse, Prof. A Paulraj, Emeritus Professor at Stanford University, Prof. Pradeep Khosla, chancellor, University of California San Diego, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras and Dr. Ajai Chowdhry, co-founder of HCL. 

The Union cabinet had recently approved the comprehensive Semicon India programme for the development of a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem in the country on December 15, 2021.  

"The newly formed Advisory Committee shall steer the objectives in a structured, efficient, and strategic manner, and provide necessary guidance to the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) executives," the statement said. 

The ISM has been set up within Digital India Corporation to drive India’s strategies for developing semiconductors and display ecosystem.  

"It shall also provide insights and suggestions to develop a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem in India," the statement added. 

The committee is mandated to provide key inputs for building a resilient supply chain, promoting investments, financing mechanisms, global engagement, research & innovation, and IP generation for the semiconductors and display ecosystem and enable an ecosystem to support startups and MSMEs. 

“Partnership between the Government, Industry and Academia to power the India Semiconductor Mission," said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. 

The Advisory Committee shall meet at least once in three months to provide key inputs to develop the sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem in India. The term of the committee is one year after which it shall be reconstituted with the approval of the minister.