Getting the economy back on track is one of the main objectives for any state government. Most energies for any state are currently being absorbed in tacking the outbreak and Maharashtra is no different. Right from the time the outbreak started, it has been the worst impacted states and continues to be so.
Now with the economy opening, there are various measures being taken to woo the investments in the state and to get the economy back on track. One such measure is being suggested by Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. On Wednesday, the former CM wrote to Uddhav Thackeray and urged to step up efforts to make sure that the Taiwanese component maker Pegatron set up a manufacturing unit in the state.
For those unaware, Pegatron manufactures computing, communications and consumer electronics. It is the second-largest Apple manufacturer, next only to Foxconn. About a week back, Pegatron registered a subsidiary in the Chennai and said to be in talks with several state governments to a set up a manufacturing facility. Once they zero in on the land, the company will be importing plant and machinery.
There seem to be two main reasons that seem to be behind this move by Pegatron. One is that Apple is said to be pushing to diversify its supply chain out of China. Second, it seems to take advantage of Centre’s Rs 41,000 crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. As per some media reports, many global and domestic players are warming up to this scheme by the central government.
Coming back to the letter that Chavan wrote to Thackeray, he mentioned that in the past two mobile manufacturers had considered Maharashtra as an option but later set shops in other states, While doing so he also took a dig at the Devendra Fadnavis government and talked how Foxconn, which is the largest manufacturer of iPhones had to set up a factory in Pune but it passed on the opportunity and settled for Tamil Nadu.
He even Tweeted, saying that Foxconn was lost to Tamil Nadu and Wistron to Karnataka, steps should now be made to attract Pegatron to Maharashtra.
It is worth pointing out that even in the Fadnavis government, the portfolio of industries was managed by Shiv Sena.
While this is indeed a great suggestion by Chavan, it is to be seen on how proactively the current Thackeray government acts on it and whether they will be able to bag prestigious component manufacture as Pegatron, which will not just help infuse investment in the state but also create employment opportunities as well.
Share
Tweet
