Land for semiconductor fabrication plant already identified: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that her government has already identified the land on which the country's first-ever national security semiconductor fabrication plant under the transformative collaboration with the US will be set up.

US Consul General Kathy Giles-Diaz called on Banerjee at the state secretariat on Thursday.

"We have already identified and readied the land. They (US) also have seen one land. Once this centre gets ready, it will be a global phenomenon. They will be able to use our talents. The infrastructure will help in boosting our talents," she said.

The chief minister said that during Thursday's meeting, where Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, and his predecessor Alapan Bandyopadhyay, among other officials, were present, a proposal was made to "consider formulating a roadmap in the second week of January next year".

Stating that the project would be a big achievement for the state, Banerjee expressed hope that once in place, the project would generate a huge employment.

"It will be a big achievement for West Bengal. There will be a huge employment generation," she said.

She said that the state IT department and Webel were "working on this for the last three years".

"We have been pursuing this for the last three years," she said, further mentioning six industrial and rail corridors being set up in the state.

Global Foundries, Synopsis, Micron and a few other leading international semiconductor companies held a number of technology symposiums in West Bengal.

The ambitious India-US joint project was announced following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in Wilmington last Saturday.

The project will be enabled by support from the India Semiconductor Mission and will be part of a strategic technology partnership among Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech, and the US Space Force.

It will not only become India's first, but one of the world's first multi-material fabrication plant for national security, people aware of the matter said.

Talking more on the issue, Banerjee claimed that her government was setting up power plants, she said, adding that two more were constructed by the private sector apart from two-three steel plants.

Banerjee also claimed that the leather industry has already generated five lakh employment in the state.

"Employment in the leather industry has surpassed five lakh. We have good construction labourers, self-help groups, zari workers and also those in jewellery designing," she said.

Banerjee announced that the next Bengal Global Business Summit will be organised on February 5-6 next year.