Stating that its investments in India till now were just a ‘tip of the iceberg’, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday called upon tech giant Apple to create a ‘robust’ presence in India.
The Minister, who holds the portfolio of Electronics and IT, was speaking to reporters after a day-long conference with over 50 top executives from the electronics manufacturing sector.
“Apple has started making phones in India, including components...They have started iPhones and components for exports. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. I want a robust presence of Apple in India,” Mr. Prasad said. He also called upon South Korean electronics giant Samsung to have a ‘super robust’ presence in India.
At present, two Apple phones — iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 — are assembled in India through contract manufacturer Wistron.
Promising all support from the government, including sops for making in India and exporting from here, Mr. Prasad pitched for making India a hub for electronics manufacturing. India has set a target of creating $400 billion electronic manufacturing ecosystem by 2025.
“India will offer you human resource, investor-friendly policies, and incentives for making in India, and for exports,” the Minister said. He added that the government would come out with key measures to incentivise exports from India in two to three months.
Mr. Prasad has also instructed his Ministry to set up a taskforce that would regularly interact with the industry, take their suggestions and address concerns.
Monday’s meeting, which was also attended by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, saw representatives from all major segments of electronics sector, including mobile handsets, consumer electronics, medical devices, components, telecom and LED lighting.
