The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has approved the State government’s proposal to set up a Greenfield Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) at Vikruthamala village in Chittoor district. The EMC will be developed over 501.40 acre at a cost of ₹339.80 crore. The proposed EMC is expected to generate nearly one lakh jobs.
The Andhra Pradesh Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Department has received the confirmation letter from the Central government. The project is strategically located in the State bordering Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which together account for major share of electronic production in the country. For example, Sripermbudur in T.N., an electronic cluster, is around two and half hours by road from the site.
The new cluster caters to the needs of electronic products manufacturing, electronic component manufacturing and semi-conductor designing companies. Already another EMC, which is developed by mobile company Celkon Impex Pvt. Ltd near Renigunta in Chittoor district, is functioning. In official parlance, it is EMC-I and the newly approved cluster at Vikruthamala village is EMC-II.
This will be the fourth EMC in the State after Sri City, Raga Mayuri and EMC-I. While 95 acres are earmarked for the EMC activities in Sri City, Raga Mayuri is in 60 acres. EMC-I has 120 acres. Also, five more proposals relating to the EMC are still pending with the Centre. Of which, two will come up in Anantapur, one each in Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Chittoor if the Centre clears these proposals, say sources in the IT, Electronics and Communication Department.
The total expected investment by 2020-21 will be ₹5,380 crore, while the expected output will be ₹12,129 crore. The exports are likely to be ₹3,200 crore by 2020-21. The expected direct employment will be about 28,500.
By Baishakhi Dutta