The Union Cabinet has approved the second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission, called Semicon 2.0, with an outlay of Rs 1.27 lakh crore. Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the decision on social media platform X, calling it a major step toward turning India into a global semiconductor powerhouse.
What Amit Shah said
Shah wrote that the Cabinet's approval of Semicon 2.0 is a giant step towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of building India into a semiconductor titan. He said the scheme would nurture talent within the country and strengthen the six strategic pillars of the semiconductor ecosystem, covering everything from manufacturing to research.
Building on the first phase
According to reports, a finance ministry panel had earlier cleared Rs 1.25 lakh crore for the mission, before the Cabinet gave its final approval at an outlay of Rs 1.27 lakh crore, cited elsewhere as roughly Rs 1,27,500 crore. India's original Semiconductor Mission was already under way, and Semicon 2.0 is being described as an expanded, strengthened version of that mission aimed at also boosting chip design work in the country.
Other big decisions from the same meeting
At the same Cabinet meeting, two elevated corridors were approved to ease traffic congestion in Varanasi. The Cabinet also cleared a Mobile Manufacturing Scheme and an Urea Investment Policy, moves expected to boost investment in mobile device manufacturing and the fertiliser sector.
Public reaction
Reactions to Amit Shah's post were mixed. Several users welcomed the decision as a far-sighted push for India's technological self-reliance and job creation, while others raised unrelated concerns, including farmer discontent and a paper leak controversy.
