Dedicated electronics parks to boost industry

Pune: Dedicated electronics parks will soon come up around the city, giving a boost to the electronics industry.
Officials of the state directorate of industries said the decision is part of the new Electronics Policy announced by the state government during the Make in India Week, which was held in Mumbai in February.
"Under the new policy, government will give some incentives to the electronic system design and manufacturing sector.A 100 hectare land area has been identified at Baur near Pune to set up an electronics park. In Talegaon, out of the 1,000 hectare land identified for development, some part has been set aside for an electronics park. This will be in Talegaon phase 2. The other area identified for an electronics park is at Khalapur in Raigad district," said SS Survase, joint director of industries.
However, he did not specify the exact location of the electronics parks at Talegaon and Khalapur.
Survase said despite being a manufacturing hub, Pune and the surrounding areas do not have that many electronics units.
The dedicated parks will act as a support system for the electronics sector.
"These parks will have integrated facilities for research and development, manufacturing and testing support to the industry. The electronics industry is different in the sense that it is not polluting and needs highly skilled people," Survase added.
The Electronics Policy 2016 plans to introduce a single window clearance system for industrial units as part of the state's efforts to improve ease of doing business. Under the policy, the government will provide land at subsidized rate, a waiver of electricity dues for 15 years along with uninterrupted power supply and a 100% return of VAT.
The government is also planning to set up two semiconductor manufacturing units in the state over the next ten years. Financial incentives will be provided to manufacturers of LED, LCD and lithium-ion batteries among others.
The government has set a target to attract investment of Rs 300 crore with an annual turnover of Rs 1,200 crore over the next five years. This is estimated to yield one lakh additional jobs in the state.