Vedanta Resources Limited Chairperson Anil Agarwal on Wednesday said that the company’s decision to set up its semiconductor unit in Gujarat, and not in Maharashtra, was based on “professional and independent advice”.
Gujarat met the expectations of the company, Agarwal added in a series of tweets.
On Tuesday, the Indian mining conglomerate and Taiwanese manufacturing company Foxconn had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gujarat government for finalisinng the project.
Agarwal’s comments came a day after Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar alleged that the project had been shifted out of Maharashtra under political pressure.
The Opposition in Maharashtra has alleged that the coalition government of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and Bharatiya Janata Party handed over the project to Gujarat under pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in view of the upcoming Assembly polls in his home state.
In his tweets, Agarwal said on Thursday that during a meeting in July, the Maharashtra government had made a “huge effort to outbid other states with a competitive offer”.
“We have to start in one place and based on professional and independent advice, we chose Gujarat,” Agarwal added.
The semiconductor manufacturing plant in India is of significance since it comes at a time when global supply of the product is in shortage. The upcoming plant in Gujarat will create one lakh jobs in Gujarat, reported Reuters.
Semiconductors are a fundamental part of microchips that are crucial for the functioning of computers, smartphones, renewable energy, automobile, and military hardware among others.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!