Diaspora hears of very good global manufacturing response to PLI scheme
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Singapore Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, have discussed trade, semiconductors, space, green energy, supply chains and defence.
“Hope to take these (initiatives) forward in the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable,” he posted on the X on post on 25 Mar after a series of meeting with Singapore leaders.
He called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong as well as met Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean, Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan as well as Home and Law Minister K. Shanmugam.
During his visit to Singapore, 23-25 Mar, Dr Jaishankar delivered a lecture at the Institute of South Asian Studies of the NUS and updated Singapore based Indian business community and diaspora on the developments going on in India.
There is a degree of purpose and seriousness as well as investment going into manufacturing that has not been seen for a long time, he told more than 300 Singapore-based members of the business community.
He highlighted “a very good global manufacturing response to the Production Linked Initiative (PLI) Scheme,” reminding the audience that India has missed the manufacturing bus in the previous decades.
The manufacturing message is being taken across the country, and clearly with better logistics and better talent, he pointed out in the NUS Institute of South Asian Studies lecture on Saturday.
He told the investor-audience of the three semiconductors plants being set up in India.
“We have started to get machinery for semiconductors today to start to build in India.”
Dr Jaishankar informed that the Government has entered into agreements with the country’s universities for training by modernising and tweaking engineering courses in a way in which the resources for the semiconductor industry would start to flow.
“Right now, we are actually looking at a plan which would give us in the coming years at least 85,000 new people for jobs in the semiconductor zone. But it’s something which we expect to see grow.”
He also interacted with some 1,500 Indian community members at the newly built Quantum Arena, an auditorium built by an Indian-led education group, in association with the Global Indian International School.
Jaishankar informed of the accelerated pace of infrastructure development in India and highlighted “Bharat being a global friend”.
The more India globalizes, every aspect of that will be reflected in the intensity and quality of relationships with Singapore, Jaishankar underscored.
“Singapore has been our partner in the globalization of India and that role and companionship is something that we value,” said the Minister. Fiinews.com
