In Software-obsessed India, Hardware Finally Gets Place in the Sun

The Union Cabinet, on 15th December, approved a much-awaited 'comprehensive program for the development of a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem'. Holding up a silicon wafer and a semiconductor chip, Ashwini Vaishnav, the Minister of Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, outlined the focus areas in a press briefing that's sure to garner attention from major global semiconductor firms. The program will cost the government ₹76,000 crores over six years. The government expects an overall investment of ₹170,000 crores in return. There are five reasons to like the program announced by the minister.