Bengaluru, Sep 22 Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said that several companies have shown keen interest in investing in the proposed Telecom Manufacturing Zone in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, as the government seeks to transform India from a services-driven economy into a product-manufacturing nation.
He was speaking to reporters here after attending an investors’ meet organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications along with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
“Several companies have shown great interest in investing in the Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) in Gwalior,” Scindia, Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, said.
According to him, Tuesday’s Bengaluru roadshow marks the completion of Phase 1 of their investor outreach, with nearly 24 companies already on board.
“Our commitment is simple: if an investor has a query or faces an issue related to the TMZ, we will work to resolve it within 48 hours. We want to make Gwalior not just a manufacturing destination, but a destination where industry knows it has a responsive government partner,” he said.
According to official statement, this meet was followed by the two Investors’ Roundtable in Delhi and Mumbai, where the industry assured investment commitments of Rs 5,500 crore, with the potential to generate around 18,000 employment opportunities under the TMZ.
“The third Investors’ Roundtable (here) reflected deep engagement of investors with the TMZ initiative, proposing investments between Rs 700 crore to Rs 800 crores after due consideration by their management,” it said.
Several companies offered positive reviews for the investments and will undertake site visits for evaluation, officials said.
The meet aimed to further strengthen industry participation and attract investment in Asia’s first TMZ being established in Gwalior.
It brought together leading telecom manufacturers, technology companies, electronics and component manufacturers, investors, infrastructure providers and other key stakeholders from across the telecom ecosystem, officials said.
“What we want is that, in this journey, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision and resolve, all private-sector companies should join hands with us and move forward, so that we can transform India from a services country into a product country,” Scindia said.
He said there should be both innovation and production, pushing for “Make in India, Make for the World.”
The Communications minister said the Telecom Manufacturing Zone is a powerful example of cooperative federalism in action. The central and the Madhya Pradesh government were working hand in hand, with the state putting in place incentives and subsidies of around Rs 8,000 crore.
“This kind of collaborative approach creates the confidence for the private sector to invest, innovate and scale,” he said.
Scindia said that in telecom, “our three priorities are clear: increase domestic value addition, create intellectual property in India, and take Indian-designed and Indian-manufactured products to every corner of the world.”
“We have seen India’s Atmanirbharta (self-sufficiency) journey gather momentum across sectors, from semiconductors to aviation. The next frontier is telecom,” he said.
Before the Investors’ Roundtable, Scindia visited Qualcomm, a leading technology and telecom company, in the city.
During the industry visit, he interacted with company leadership and senior representatives and discussed developments in telecom technologies, semiconductor capabilities, indigenous product development, research and innovation, and the scope for greater participation of technology companies in India’s telecom manufacturing ecosystem.
Sharing further details about the Investors’ Meet here, CM Yadav said that today, the Government of India, through the efforts of Scindia, and the Madhya Pradesh government has created a unique project for Gwalior in the telecom sector.
He described this as the country’s first and most “distinctive” model in the telecom sector.
“Based on this model, we have brought forward an attractive package of schemes for all our investors which will enable a large number of investors to benefit by associating their businesses with it,” Yadav said.
At the same time, the CM noted that from the perspective of employment and providing jobs to young people, a new and comprehensive telecom-sector ecosystem was taking shape.
“Being close to Delhi, it will usher in a new era and a new phase for Gwalior and Madhya Pradesh,” he said.
“The result of our attractive policy is that we are ready to provide land at Re 1. We have 24-hour electricity supply, connectivity, a large pool of young manpower and an adequate land bank. This is why the interest of all kinds of investors in the state has been continuously increasing,” the CM said.
According to officials, the proposed TMZ in Gwalior is envisaged as an integrated 170-acre plug-and-play industrial cluster for telecom manufacturing, R&D and innovation, covering mobile devices, optical fibre, telecom equipment and next-generation 5G/6G technologies.
A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has been established for this purpose with a 51 per cent equity from the Government of Madhya Pradesh and 49 per cent from the Department of Telecommunications, they added.
(PTI News)
