Industries Minister MB Patil and Electronics, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge received Liu at the airport earlier in the day. Liu will, accompanied by top officials, inspect the progress of the upcoming facility on Saturday.
This is also his first visit to Bengaluru after Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd) signed an MoU with the State Government last year.
The government had, in March last year, cleared Foxconn’s proposal to invest $1 billion to set up the iPhone factory, the company nicknamed ‘Project Elephant”. The world’s largest electronics manufacturer later increased the investment by an additional $1.7 billion.
Foxconn is building a modern facility to assemble 20 million smartphones annually on a 300-acre plot in IT investment region (ITIR) near the international airport. The project, with an investment size of Rs 22,000 crore, is expected to add 50,000 plus jobs.
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“The work is progressing well in this project with construction in progress. The Industries department helped the company get all approvals and licenses,” an official press statement from the government said.Foxconn is also setting up a manufacturing and assembly facility for mechanical components in EV applications (Project Cheetah). The company has leased private land in Bengaluru District for this project.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar hosted dinner for Liu in Bengaluru. During his meeting with Liu, the CM expressed his joy that the upcoming project will add a substantial number of jobs in the State. This not only boosts the local economy but also empowers our workforce and enhances the overall prosperity of the region, the CM added.
“It is a great privilege to address you today as we work together to deepen and strengthen the collaborative relationship between Foxconn and our state. This partnership is of immense importance, and I am honored to be part of an initiative that holds such significant potential for mutual growth and success,” he added.
“Karnataka has established itself as a powerhouse in the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector. With several leading ESDM players operating within the state, we are proud to be among the top contributors to India’s electronics manufacturing output and exports. To support and facilitate competitive electronics manufacturing, Karnataka offers a comprehensive range of advantages. From efficient logistics and reliable power supply to a skilled workforce and a resilient vendor base, our state is well-equipped to meet the needs of this dynamic industry,’ the CM said.
There had been issues of land acquisition in favour of the company due to protests from landowners. All those issues had been sorted out and the company was on its course to commence production either this year or early next year. The company, however, is expected to soon commence production-related preparatory activities very soon, sources aware of the matter said.
Foxconn is expected to commission the plant only after Apple Inc gives its go ahead after its team visits and inspects the facility. The plant will be Foxconn’s largest such unit in India, when commissioned.
“Foxconn’s forthcoming investments in the state are poised to significantly contribute to Karnataka’s growth trajectory. I look forward to productive discussions,” Industries Minister MB Patil posted on X.
The Karnataka Assembly had, last year, amended the Factories Act, 1948 to increase working hours for workers to up to 12-hours a day, subject to a weekly cap of 48 hours to drive investments in the electronics and semiconductor sector.
This was aimed to help manufacturing companies to raise permissible hours of overtime per quarter to 145 hours from the earlier mandated 75-hour cap. It also allowed women workers to work night shifts. The government notified the changes in August last year after the bill received the President’s assent in July last year.
