India Unveils New Scheme to Boost Electronics Component Production

In a significant step towards boosting domestic electronics manufacturing, the Indian government is introducing a new component-linked incentive scheme to encourage the production of electronic parts and semiconductors. This initiative aims to enhance local value addition and transform India into a product nation, as stated by Ministry of Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan during the launch of the made-in-India Milkyway tablets.

Representative image

Promoting Design and Make in India

The government has been actively engaging with the industry to promote the design and manufacturing of products in India. Secretary Krishnan emphasized the importance of increasing local value addition and highlighted the upcoming component-linked incentive scheme that will support this movement. This scheme aims to make India not only a product nation but also a major producer of electronic components.

Unveiling the Milkyway Tablet

During the event, Secretary Krishnan and Consumers Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh unveiled a 4G tablet developed by the non-profit organization EPIC Foundation. Designed in India, the Milkyway tablet will be locally produced by electronic manufacturing services company VVDN and JioPhone maker United Telecoms UTL.

Features and Specifications

The Milkyway tablet runs on Android and comes in various variants with 3GB and 4GB RAM, 32GB and 64GB storage, a 3-megapixel front camera, and an 8-megapixel rear camera. It will be available at an affordable price of Rs 9,999.

Collaboration and Partnerships

EPIC Foundation has collaborated with local start-up CoRover.ai to integrate artificial intelligence into the tablet, providing a multilingual virtual assistant called BharatGPT. Iris Waves will handle the marketing and after-sales service for Milkyway.

Repairability and Local Manufacturing

EPIC Founder and Chairman, Ajai Chowdhry, highlighted the repairability of the Milkyway tablet at the component level, which is a significant advantage over imported products. The tablet's production will depend on market dynamics, and EPIC is open to partnerships for local manufacturing or further product development.

Addressing 4G vs. 5G

In response to questions about the tablet's 4G capability in the era of 5G, Chowdhry explained that 5G is not yet widely available across the country, making 4G a more practical choice for the current market.

Production and Orders

UTL Chairman P Raja Mohan Rao announced that his company will receive the order and manufacture 2 lakh Milkyway tablets annually. UTL will pay a royalty fee to EPIC for the production. Additionally, Vedavaag Systems has already placed an order for 12,000 tablets, intending to use them for banking correspondent services.

The launch of the Milkyway tablet and the announcement of the component-linked incentive scheme mark significant milestones in India's journey towards becoming a self-reliant electronics manufacturing hub. By promoting local design, manufacturing, and value addition, the government aims to transform India into a global player in the electronics industry.